Hiro
by sliverpen
Summary: 17 year-old Catherine and her estranged friend Este cross over into the Unmarked lands by accident while horseback riding and find themselves kidnapped by the shadow king. They are informed that the king wishes to marry one of them and that they can't leave the Unmarked lands...Who is this king or rather what is he?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Este and I decided to ride home since our older sisters were enjoying themselves with friends of neighbouring nobility and we were clearly spoiling their fun since we were not yet 18. Once a year our parents all go to stay in the lake chalets on Riverdance Lake to 'build and maintain social relations'. It was actually just an excuse for a drinking get-together. Kind of what my sister Anneke was now doing with her friends. Part of the reason I got 'shooed' away was because I spoke my mind. Este was bored anyway and wanted to go home. Our paths would separate halfway home.

It wasn't like Este and I were friends anymore, we tolerated each other. She was weird. Meaning she bleached her hair white, had a funny cut and studs through the bridge of her nose as well as both cheeks. And a dragon tattoo on her left shoulder. If I hadn't known better I would thought her a biker chick or something (not that I've ever seen her on a bike – it just seems like it, especially when she wears her denim jacket). I didn't have a problem with that, but the fact that she treated me like I was stupid even though we were actually born in the same month of the same year. She had very intense blue eyes, and smooth facial features. She had a lot going for her. I saw the guys checking her out until her sister gave them a what-for. I had curly auburn hair that didn't want to stay straight no matter how much I straightened it with a hair-straightener and hazel coloured eyes. Nothing spectacular, and I didn't like to focus attention on myself so I would usually end up wearing a beanie and chunky jacket because I didn't want to have Anneke's guy friends staring at my boobs – perverts! Este had no problem flaunting herself. Always wore tight t-shirts under hear denim jacket that showed off some cleavage. Maybe I was jealous of her popularity and audacity? I'd not even had a boyfriend yet, but I often hear that she broke up with so-and-so.

Perhaps she thought me dumb because I normally didn't say much. I just never knew what to talk to her about. It wasn't like I could compare 'boyfriend notes' or anything like that. Este loved talking and easily became the centre of attention at any gathering. Perhaps the dagger stares her sister was giving her made her want to leave. We were only allowed to come because our older sisters are supposed to be 'looking after' us while our parents are out, which usually was for about a week. They seemed relieved when we said we'd go home.

Riding on horseback was the best way to get around in these parts as the roads easily became overgrown and was difficult to maintain for car traffic. I loved riding, it was so liberating to feel the wind in my hair and throw all my worries away for a bit. Denuska was my 16th birthday present from my parents. His breed was of unknown origin, but it was his beauty and strength that caught my father's eye. His coat was a beautiful dark-brown colour and black mane and tail. We 'clicked' right from the start and I've spent hours with him, talking to him like he was my best friend – since I didn't have any real friends I considered close. I realised Este was already on her horse and quickly got into the saddle as well. She didn't talk to me as we rode, instead she switched on her mp3 player and was humming along to a Blue October song. I very much wanted to leave her behind, but Anneke made me promise I'd ride with her up to where our roads split. It was so embarrassing, even my sister treated me like a kid. Este jokingly said that she didn't mind 'baby-sitting' to look cool, but I knew it annoyed her. Denuska snorted as if he knew what I felt and was trying to comfort me. I patted him lightly on the neck in response.

We rode for a while at a slower pace than I would have liked. Not much farther now! I thought. Just then I realised that the road no longer looked familiar...

"Este?" I asked, but she was pretending she couldn't hear me.

"Este!"

"What?" she asked annoyed.

"I think we are lost!"

"You don't know what you are talking about, we've been going straight all this way and it's the right way. We'll get to the stupid split just now then you can go play "I got lost" by yourself."

I followed Este in silence. This place is definitely unfamiliar, Denushka was thinking the same as I could feel his movements was more tense than usual and his ears kept flicking forward and backward as if he was listening out for something. Just then we heard the sound of riders coming.

"That was a short party," Este said as she took out her earphones and looked over her shoulder. Could it be them? Just then we caught a glimpse of the riders. They wore dark cloaks. These riders didn't look friendly from what I could tell. Something seemed very off about our surroundings...

"We've crossed into the unmarked lands!" I exclaimed. There was a large piece of land that up to this day was not detailed on any map because it was considered cursed. GPS' went crazy on it, almost like what happens with the Bermuda triangle. It once supposedly belonged to a royal family which hasn't been seen or heard of for many years. Rumors had it that the monsters of the unmarked lands invaded and killed them. The path we took home did pass nearby one of the borders, but should not have brought us into contact with the unmarked lands. This was bad...

"Yah!" Este yelled and kicked her horse and set off on a gallop. What was she doing?! She didn't even know what direction she was riding in!

"Este!" I called out to her, but she was ignoring me. I chased after her. The best chance of survival would be to stick together. Denushka had no trouble catching up to her horse, a pretty Palomino. It seemed like the riders were chasing after us. We reached a split in the road, but it wasn't the one we were looking for.

"What do we do?" Este asked in a panicked voice. Her horse was trembling and whinnying nervously. Denushka also pranced a bit, but was silent. We didn't have much time to make a choice. I looked at both directions. The one seemed to go into a dark forest... definitely NOT going that way.

"This way!" I said and set off on the other road. After a short while I realised that Este didn't follow me, but continued on the dark road... stubborn as always! Then I saw two riders closing in on me. They split up so they are chasing after both of us... I nudged Denushka and we flew over a small river. Eventually I came to a fence, like the ones you usually find around paddocks. It was a dead-end. There was no way else to go... Just then Denushka grunted and then by himself set off and charged the fence.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Denushka!" I called and pulled on the reigns, but he didn't listen. Before I knew it we were flying. I have never jumped that high and shut my eyes tightly. It felt like we were airborne for ages before Denushka's feet touched down on the other side and galloped forth. I quickly opened my eyes and let out a breath of relief. The other riders stopped on the other side of the fence. Then I realised that we had entered a field that bordered a...castle?! Is this the castle of the unmarked lands?! We only had one way to go, which would take us to the front of the castle... Denushka seemed annoyed, but listened now as I guided him towards it. Perhaps I'd be able to find another path from there to get out... Then I saw Este. She stood by herself and was talking to someone. Her horse was nowhere in sight. I wondered what happened? She didn't look panicked anymore? I felt relieved; perhaps that person could give us directions? I nudged Denushka, but he kept prancing on the same spot.

"What is it boy?" I asked and dismounted. I let my hand stroke his neck and whispered softly to him. He calmed down and let me lead him closer.

"Este!" I called. She looked up, but seeing it was me seemed to lose interest.

"Oh, here she is now," she said in a bored tone, "had fun getting lost?"

The person she was talking to was a man in quite regal looking clothes. He was dressed in an oriental style waistcoat and had a sash bound around his waist and a sword belt. He had long Mahogany hair that was plaited into one thick long braid that hung over his shoulder. He seemed not much older than us... I noticed some cloaked riders get off their horses and continue into the castle courtyard.

"What is this place?" I hadn't realised that I was thinking out loud.

"This is Shadowlands castle, Miss Monforte, and as his majesty's butler I apologise on his behalf for not personally being here to welcome you..."

Butler? His majesty? Does this mean the story is true? Or is everything an illusion? This seemed so medieval-like... Of course all nobles still had people working for them, but no one called them butlers anymore – they were simply employees. And what's with the unusual clothes? I realised that I hadn't been listening to what the butler was saying and was now waiting for an answer from me. I looked into his eyes and was surprised to see that they were gold in colour!

"Oh...sorry, I didn't catch that last part?" I said embarrassed and looked away.

"You're always spacing out!" Este reprimanded me, "we are invited to be guests here until it is safe for us to return home. The riders that were chasing us where trying to help us. Sheeze, you are hopeless!" she said as she started walking towards the courtyard, following the butler. I didn't trust any of this... Denushka clearly felt the same as he refused to move. I spoke to him softly once more.

"Stop talking to your horse, it's not human you know," Este's voice piped up again. She was very miffed for some reason.

"Oh yeah, what happened to yours?" I asked.

"The stupid horse threw me off and bolted. Luckily I didn't get hurt and walked here."

"Oh..."

I thought her clothes looked a little dirty...

"Shut up!" she snapped and was back to ignoring me. We followed the butler inside the courtyard. Denushka was taken to the stables and we were taken to rooms that we would be allowed to use while we stayed here. We followed the butler to a room and Este was told that it would be hers. I didn't go in, but could see that it was very luxuriously decorated in greys and blues. It had some very modern metal art on the wall. It seemed like the kind of thing Este would like. The butler explained that each room had an en-suite bathroom. Este gave it a bored look, which I know was just her way to look cool, and then told us to leave so she could take a bath because all the riding had made her sweaty and she wanted to be decent when we would meet the king later on.

"The...what?!" I exclaimed. I hadn't heard that part...actually the butler did talk of his majesty...I guess it didn't really sink in. Why on earth would he want to meet with us?

"If you weren't always daydreaming you would know that we are to meet with the king tonight at dinner, so I'd suggest you clean up too. You smell horrible," Este said before closing the door on me. The butler was waiting outside for me. I sighed.

"Miss?"

"Oh...yes, sorry. Let's go." I said and followed him to my room. I noticed that Este's room was not on the same floor as mine. When I asked about it I was apologised to and told that many rooms were not in a state to receive guests.

My room was just as luxurious. I habitually took my shoes off and left it outside the door. I noticed that the room's floors were covered with Tatami mats. It had a huge bed and the carpets and tapestry had an eastern feel to it. The bed posts were carved bamboo, and the furniture was made from it too. There was even a bamboo water-feature in one corner of the room. The colour scheme was natural colours; greens, browns and beiges which made me feel calm at once. It was very much my style... Awesome!

"Is this acceptable to you miss?" the butler's voice asked and I realised that I've forgotten about him while I was staring at the beautiful room.

"Er...yes! Sorry, it is absolutely beautiful! Is it really okay for me to stay here?" I felt uncomfortable because everything looked so expensive...

"It is my lord's wish that this room was to be assigned to you, Miss Monforte, so feel at ease. Please treat it as your own while you stay here. Now I must be off to prepare for tonight," the butler said and slightly bowed his head to me.

I asked the first thing that popped up in my head. "How do you know my name?"

There was a slight moment of hesitation, or was I imagining it?

"My lord knows many things regarding the nobility and their whereabouts, but your friend also told me about you. Please excuse me." With that he left the room. Drat! I still wanted to ask him some more questions! Oh well...

The en-suite bathroom was breath-taking as well. The walls were made of stone and had glass panels above so that you could see the sky. It was late afternoon and I could see the yellows, golds and orange streaks. The bath was one of those stand-alone ones. It had gold taps and feet. The gold was gleaming like it was brand new. Even the toilet had gold trimmings. I felt suspicious about this. Why was the room exactly what I liked (meaning the oriental style, not the gold)? I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming while the bathwater was running. The bathroom had modern plumbing I noticed. There were bottles on a stand and I was too curious not to see what it was. I discovered they were bath oils and added one that smelled like ylang-ylang. It felt so good and I wondered if my sister and the others were still partying it up. I would have to let her know what happened. Could we really be in the unmarked lands? I still had so many questions... I decided I would ask the king later, if he was willing to answer.

I eventually got out and realised that I didn't have other clothes to change into. I didn't want to put my sweaty clothes on so after a while thought I'd take a peek into the large closet that stood on one side of the room. It was full of clothes! I wondered if it would be noticed if I borrowed something until my clothes are dry? I had hand-washed them and they were currently hanging in the bathroom. I checked a view items and noticed that they were all exactly my size... There were even shoes...again all exactly my size. I was starting to freak out now...what was this place?! After calming myself down I took out a tunic and matching pants and sandals. I needed answers...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When I left my room there was a maid waiting outside for me to show me to the dining hall. I followed silently. The hall was huge. It had many chandeliers hanging from the roof and all of them were lit. I almost expected count Dracula to step up and welcome me – the place had a dark feel to it somehow... I saw Este and another person seated at the end of the long table. This must be the king... I followed the lady who had fetched me from my room to a seat opposite Este on the king's left. I didn't know how to behave...was I supposed to curtsy or something? Este sniggered. I must have looked like an idiot, just staring at the king. He seemed to not have noticed or ignored it.

"Welcome to my castle, Miss Monforte," he said,"please take a seat." He gestured and then someone pulled the chair out for me.

"Miss?" I recognised the voice and looked up into the gold eyes of the butler. Was he laughing at me too?! I could feel my face burn from embarrassment.

"Thank you," I said and took a seat.

All the questions I had wanted to ask the king seemed to have gotten stuck in my throat and we ate our meal in silence. I stole a couple of glances. The king had shoulder length black hair and grey eyes. He was quite attractive and appeared to be perhaps in his late twenties? I noticed that there was no-one else in the dining hall now that the food had been brought in except for us and the butler, who stood to his master's left, which meant just behind me. This made me a bit nervous as I couldn't see him and it would be rude to turn around in my chair to look at him. I was too nervous to eat all the food on my plate, even though it was very delicious. It was even better than Piccadilly's, a well-known restaurant in town, and that is saying something! Eventually people came to take our plates away and then served us dessert. Only afterwards did the king finally speak up.

"You two no doubt have many questions?"

Este was the first to say something. She sounded like an excited puppy.

"I never knew this place existed. Is this the fabled dark Castle of the Unmarked lands?"

The king smiled, but it didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"I suppose you could call it such...it is known as Shadowlands castle."

Perhaps Este offended him? I tried to defuse the situation.

"My lord, we had unknowingly wandered here and imposed ourselves on your generosity. Please except our heartfelt thanks for sheltering us for the night," I said and bowed my head slightly to the king. Would it be okay to say that, I wondered?

Este made a funny noise. "What's with the archaic Shakespeare Cat?" I didn't mind people shortening my name, but the way Este said it rubbed me up the wrong way. I was just about to say something to her when the king's voice suddenly sounded up.

"I feel I need to...clear up a misunderstanding, Miss Monforte. You are not imposing as your coming here had been foreseen."

We both stared at the king in astonishment.

"I wish to get to know you both better and in time choose one of you to become my wife."

The glass that I was holding fell from my hand and shattered. At the same time I had pushed my chair back and would have toppled over with it had the butler not steadied me.

"Get a grip Cat!" Este was almost yelling at me. What was wrong with her? Was she okay with this?!

I ignored her and pushed away from the butler.

"I want to leave...now!"

"That is not possible," the king continued as if nothing strange had just happened. He took another sip of his wine, "these lands are under my control and you will not be able to leave until I decide otherwise."

"That's...kidnapping! A crime punishable by law!" I stammered.

"By whose law? The laws of your people do not apply to the unmarked lands, Miss Monforte. So please, compose yourself and let us discuss the matter in a civilised matter."

I felt embarrassed for acting so childishly, but at the same time I was furious. How dare he! A maid was cleaning up the broken glass pieces. I let the butler push my chair in and sat down.

"You will have everything you desire while you stay here. I trust that your rooms are to your liking? Should you need anything at all just ask one of the servants. All I request is that you both allow me time to get to know you. It will also mean that you will get to know me better. I ask nothing more." He now got up.

"Please excuse me, I still have matters to attend to. I hope that you both rest well and look forward to getting better acquainted with you." He then left the hall.

I sat there in shocked silence.

"You're such a child!" Este was now piping up, "a king asks to get to know you better and you go on a rampage like a elephant in a china shop!"

I tried my best not to let my anger get the best of me.

"Only someone like you will get all happy when you basically get told that you are a prisoner and that you might get forced to marry someone you don't know. And I don't know about you, but the decorations in my room is... too perfect."

"You're just a sissy! This is the most excitement I've had in years – this surely beats staying home while everyone else is partying it up. Aren't you at least a little curious? You can hardly say we are prisoners when we are treated like royalty! And you have to admit, the king is quite handsome!"

"Unlike you, Este, I view a relationship with a man _very _seriously..."

"Are you saying I'm a slut?!" she was almost yelling at me.

"Miss Thatcher, Monforte," if you would be so kind as to let me escort you to your rooms," the butler interrupted. I had forgotten that we weren't alone and felt embarrassed. Este looked like she was about to throw something at me.

We followed the butler in silence. This time he first stopped by my room and then continued with Este to hers. I decided that I had to escape. I pulled out my cellphone, but as expected it didn't have steady reception, it kept flickering on and off. My room opened up onto a balcony. I peered over and saw that it wasn't too high to the ground, this appeared to be the second floor. I noticed there was a creeper growing up the wall and felt it to see how steady it would be to support my weight. It felt firm. I quickly changed back into my old still damp riding gear and climbed down the creeper. My heart was beating furiously. What if I got caught?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I slowly made my way to where I remembered them taking Denushka. Oddly there was no one around, no guards patrolled the grounds or anything. It was eerily silent. I felt a shiver down my back, but forced myself to go on. I reached what appeared like stables and peeked inside. No guards. I could smell straw and horses. A few lamps were dimly lit here and there. I wonder which one Denushka is in? I looked into the first and second stable, but it was empty. It seemed like none of the stables had horses?! Just then I heard a sound. I sounded like a woman...I slowly walked closer and then caught glimpse of the naked back of a man. The sound I heard was of a woman moaning. They were busy making love in the stable! I quickly stood back and bumped a bucket over. The man suddenly looked around, but didn't stop what he was doing. His eyes were unusually beautiful and completely black. It reminded me somehow of Denuska's... how could this be?! I ran out the stable when arms suddenly surrounded me and covered my mouth at the same time. I desperately tried to scream and wriggle free, but the person was too strong for me and quickly pulled me away from the stables.

"Keep quiet and come with me!" a voice whispered urgently into my ear. It sounded familiar.

I kept resisting, but had no success. Eventually we got to an isolated courtyard. The person let me go.

"How dare you!" I said and instinctively wanted to slap him through the face before I could help myself. I was angry. Angry and embarrassed at the same time. The scene I just saw in the stables... and that I got caught in my attempt to escape. It was the butler. And he caught my wrist in the blink of an eye.

"You!" How did he know?!

"I would show more appreciation, considering that I just saved your life."

"What?!"

"You don't know what you saw, do you?" he asked. My face was turning red at the recollection of the scene I was desperately trying to erase from my mind.

"I...I..." I stammered.

"He is a kelpie."

"What?!" I must have heard wrong.

The butler folded his arms across his chest and looked annoyed.

"Don't tell me I have to explain to you what they are?"

"No...no, I know...it's just, I didn't think mythological creatures really existed..."

"Even though you wear a charm around your neck to ward off pixies?"

"How...how do you know _that?!"_ The charm was always hidden under my clothes...

"My lord has been surveying both you and your...friend for a while now. Your coming here had been carefully planned and considered."

"Now that helps me feel right at home!" I said sarcastically. I've been spied on for who knows how long and didn't realise...

"It should, since you know that you are not a complete stranger to his majesty. I assure you that his intentions are honourable Miss Monforte. It would be in your best interest and safety to not leave the castle without me or other arranged escort. The unmarked lands are home to...many creatures."

"Like kelpies?"

He nodded.

"That was Denushka, wasn't it? Why didn't he try to kill me before? I've ridden..." oh my gosh! my face was turning tomato again. The idea of riding a horse that can turn into a man... and all the things I've told him... My legs gave way and I sat down on the side of a fountain that was in the centre of the courtyard.

"He can only take his true form inside the unmarked lands, like all the other mythological creatures. It is curious, however that he didn't take his chance as soon as you crossed the border. He seems to...care about you in some way...that is very unusual..."

"If he cares so much, why is he...he..." I couldn't finish my sentence and couldn't look the butler in the eyes.

"His majesty had forbidden him to lay his hands on you, but he is still a kelpie. That woman let herself become his prey of her own free will. Everyone here knows that the stables are off limits at night."

"You mean that _all_ the horses are kelpies?!"

I felt nauseous. No wonder Este's horse ran off. I hope it's okay...

"What about that woman? Shouldn't we help her?"

"Oh, do you wish to take her place?" he asked and I looked at him in shock.

"No, of course not! But don't kelpies drown their victims and..."

"Yes, but a trade had to be made. Such is the rules."

"Trade? You mean she instead of me?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I felt like I was trapped in a nightmare.

"Come, you must be tired. Things will look less dreary in the morning," he said and reached his hand out to me. I looked at his face. His gold eyes were steady and there was a slight smile on his face. Could I trust him?

"Please answer one more question for me."

"What is it?"

"What are you?"

"I noticed earlier in the dining hall that you are very observant. You mean because my eyes are an unusual colour? That is a secret, but I can assure you it is nothing as exciting as your kelpie," he said seriously. I took his offered hand and he pulled me up, but my legs gave way. He immediately pulled me close to him to prevent me from crashing to the floor. I ended up being held tightly in his arms. His face was suddenly so close... My heartbeat sped up and I trembled even more. What was wrong with me?! I felt his hand softly stroking my hair and his whisper.

"There, there..."

For a moment I was speechless, but then common sense kicked me under the bum. This surely would cause problems if we would get seen like this...it would look like the butler is caressing me... and I don't know what he is – he could be a vampire for all I know! Didn't those vampires in Twilight have gold eyes too?!

I gently pushed him away.

"Thank you, I should be able to stand – I think."

He let me go.

"Shall we?" I asked with a braver voice than I felt. He walked with me to my room and I asked him to please wait until I have closed and locked the balcony doors. What if something grabbed me if I was alone? I was terrified. He bid me goodnight and was about to leave.

"Wait!"

He stopped and looked at me. "Yes?"

"Thank you..."

"You are welcome." He turned to leave again.

"Please tell me your name!" I called out.

"Does it really matter?" he asked.

"It does to me...you are the only friend I currently have in this place."

"You consider me your friend? I am flattered, but please don't forget that I am just a butler to his highness...my name is Hiro," he said and left the room and closed the door softly.

"Hiro..."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

That night I didn't sleep at all. There was just too much to take in and I was terrified. The next morning I peered outside the curtains that covered the closed balcony doors. It all looked so normal now. The sun would rise soon. The sky was getting lighter and lighter. Just then I heard a knock on the door which made me jump.

"Y...yes? Come in?" I asked. I had expected to see Hiro, but it was another maid that brought in a tray of food and tea. I thanked her and ate it in silence. I noticed there was a note on the tray with a royal seal on it. I opened it.

"Dear Miss Monforte,

It would please me greatly if you could accompany me this morning for a while.

I am looking forward to seeing you."

It was signed by his majesty. I felt nervous. I didn't know what to expect. I finished my breakfast and changed into a simple dress and a cardigan that I found in the large closet. I chose it on purpose, not wanting to draw attention to my body at all.

A maid waited outside my room and led me outside to a section of the castle gardens that had many rose bushes. There were all sorts of colours and types. Several awnings were covered in creeper roses. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The king just finished his cup of tea when I arrived. He looked up at me and smiled.

"I am glad you could make it, Miss Monforte. Do you mind if I call you Catherine?"

I did mind, because I felt like he was getting too informal with me too fast, but who was I to object?

"That...is fine."

"You may call me Leslie."

"Okay..."

We went for a walk in the gardens. It was refreshing and helped clear my head a little. I hoped that my face didn't show too much that I didn't sleep the previous night. Leslie asked me about myself, about my parents and about the other nobles. I answered as best as I could, even though I wondered if he didn't know all this things already. Perhaps he was just asking to make polite conversation? I felt a little warmed by his considerateness. After a while I realised that he had been bombarding me with questions, almost as if he didn't want me to ask him any. Every time I tried, he found a way to get around it... I wondered why? Eventually he excused himself and a maid asked me if she could lead me back to my room. I didn't want to go back yet. I asked her to bring me tea and sat on the grass. Later I walked to where I had seen a pool before. I wanted to look at the rainbow fishes again. I didn't have a proper look while I was talking to the king. Just then I heard voices and quickly stepped behind a bush. It was Este and Hiro. They seemed to have a lively conversation. Why did I feel so strange inside? Was this jealousy? I stood still and listened.

"This place is great! I can't believe that the king has waited so long to reach out to the world outside. Could you imagine the grand balls that could be held here? The dancing hall is perfect for it! I should actually suggest it to the king when I get a change to talk to him, I hope sometime soon?"

I felt a bit relieved, it didn't seem like Este had much interest in Hiro...

"Say, why is a handsome man like you a butler?" she suddenly asked.

"You flatter me, Miss Thatcher, but please be aware of my station and respect it as such." He said something in similar lines to me the night before... but it felt different when he held me in his arms... I felt very confused.

"Oh, you don't need to be so tight-up with me!" she continued, "I promise I won't tell!" she said while she winked at him. As usual she was dressed to kill. Her blouse accentuated her curves, as did the skinny jeans she wore. I felt plain in comparison. The king must have thought me dull, I thought... Why did it matter? Once he falls in love with Este and declares to marry her I'll be free to go home. But then it means I will not see Hiro anymore... I realised that I was starting to develop feelings for him and decided that I needed to distance myself from him. Like he said, he is a butler and seems fiercely loyal to his majesty. I didn't want to create problems for him and apart from that I don't know what he is, he clearly isn't human.

Besides, I have to go home sometime. I still have to tell my parents that I failed my exam. They want me to become an accountant. I didn't feel that it was my calling, but studied to please them. I got my result just after they had left for Riverdance Lake. These days you either had to marry rich or become qualified, those were the two routes that was viewed as 'acceptable' in the circles my parents and by default me and my sister moved in. Since I had always been the quiet one that didn't reach out much to other kids it was decided that I'd study. I guess that's why my sister was so social, it was either hoping to catch a big one or hit the books... He-he... I felt a little sorry for her!

Hiro and Este were standing quite close now. I kept as still as I could. Just then... *rumble* My stomach decided that it wasn't happy with being ignored and reminded me that it was lunch-time. Este was still chatting obliviously, but Hiro immediately looked in my direction. This made Este stop and look this way as well. Oh well... I got out from behind the bush.

"Miss Monforte? I assume your appointment with your highness has ended?" Hiro asked me as if it was perfectly natural for me to suddenly pop up from behind a bush.

"Cat? You were with the king?" Este asked with surprise in her voice. She didn't look too happy.

"Why did she get to spend time with him first?" she asked sulkily.

"Don't worry, Miss Thatcher, you will both have plenty of opportunities to get to know his highness. Can I suggest that you retire for lunch on the eastern porch? The weather is lovely and the fresh air will do you good."

"Sounds great!" Este said and hooked her arm into Hiro's. He slowly removed it and then set off on a brisk walk. Este looked a bit disappointed, but when she saw I was watching her pulled a face at me and almost skipped after Hiro. I sighed and followed. Sometimes she could be so immature...

"Spying on me were you?" Este said scornfully once we were seated on the porch. Some maids had brought out lunch for us. Hiro had excused himself. She looked displeased, probably because I had interfered with her flirting with Hiro.

"Actually, I was trying to avoid you."

"Is that so?"

"Believe what you want Este," I said with a sigh, "not everyone is out to get you – the least me."

"Gmph!" she said and then her facial expression changed to something resembling a cat that got cream.

"Oh, I thought you'd try to escape last night. What made you change your mind?"

"What?!" Where on earth did she hear that? Did Hiro tell her? How much did she know?

"I know you a little bit, Cat. At your boring birthday parties you always used the first opportunity to run away. Even at the party we left earlier, you barely spoke more than two sentences with any of the guys. I find it quite cute actually, you are such a little girl."

"Stop belittling me Este! I admit I am not the best when it comes to socialising or guys, but that doesn't give you the right to insult me!"

"Insult? Whose the one who said I'm a slut?"

I sighed. "You are right, I chose my words poorly. It's just you always seem to have a great time and people just like you, even though you are very forward at times and get into trouble a lot. I guess I am jealous."

"Hah, don't think getting all soft with me all of the sudden is going to get you off the hook so easily!" Este snapped, "you may have had the first chance to win the king's heart, but I will outdo you!" She swung a breadstick like an imaginary sword. The tip broke off and fell into the sauce bowl. We both stared at it for a moment and then burst out laughing.

"Serious now," Este said after the laughter had finally died down, "I plan to see if this guy might be the man of my dreams. He owns a castle and everything – can't ask for more prestige than that can you?"

"Is that what it is all about for you, Este?"

"What else is there? I am not planning to waste my time on books...er...no offence, and none of the guys I've been seeing so far cut it for me. Why not?"

"I don't know...I somehow thought marriage should be for love?"

"Perhaps in the world you were born in..." Este mumbled before continuing loudly as if to erase what she had just said. "May the best girl win!" she said lifting her juice glass and swallowed it down.

Just then a maid came and gave Este an envelope that looked the same as the one I had received that morning. She tore it open quickly and read it. "Wish me luck!" she said winking at me before she followed the maid.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I chomped on another bread-stick and thought about how strange Este is. She never misses a chance to belittle me, but then sometimes she's actually nice. Well, sort of.

I was looking at the fields that I could see from the porch and noticed horses grazing in the paddocks in a distance. I couldn't help but shiver slightly. What was the unmarked lands? There were many rumours of monsters and such, but no concrete proof. A thought suddenly struck me. Perhaps Hiro was just saying the things he did so I would try to escape on Denushka? What proof is there that the man I saw was indeed him? I know I thought his eyes looked the same, but that could have been my imagination, right? I've got to find a way out of here or a way to contact someone outside the unmarked lands...

"You look troubled, Miss Monforte?" Hiro suddenly asked. I didn't notice him come, I wonder how long he's been watching me? How do I know I can trust him?

Hiro looked in the direction I had been gazing in.

"Oh, you are still upset about you horse?" It irritated me a bit that he could read me so easily.

"I have...loved Denushka from the first day I got him, he was my 16th birthday gift from my parents. I love riding. Now I am terrified to go near him, it breaks my heart..."

"You don't have to avoid him. Kelpies are normal horses during daytime. You will be surprised how many there are out there, even beyond the unmarked lands' borders. They are strong and very fast, the best race horses there are."

I decided I wanted to change the topic.

"So, how long are Este and I going to have to live here?" I asked.

Hiro was silent and I noticed a strange look on his face, did he seem a bit hurt?

"Are you not being treated well here, Miss Monforte?"

"No, please don't take it the wrong way...it's just that there doesn't seem to be any cellphone reception here so I have no way to let my folks know where I am. They must be worried." Perhaps there is a wi-fi spot that I don't know of or something...

"No need, I have informed your parents as well as those of Miss Thatcher that you are currently guests here as per instructions from his highness."

"Oh..." Well, so much for wi-fi...

"Would you like to take a walk, Miss Monforte?"

"Yes, I think that will be nice." I decided I needed to get to know the enemy.

"So, how long have you been a butler to his highness?" Hiro seemed a bit surprised at my question.

"For as long as I can remember. I was born and raised here."

"Oh... so you know his majesty very well then?"

Now that I think of it. Leslie looks at least ten years older than Hiro while he doesn't look much older than us. Perhaps if I make Hiro believe that I am interested in his master he'd let his guard down so I can find a way to escape?

"How old is his highness?"

Hiro coughed as if he didn't expect that question. Surely that would be something a woman would like to know about a potential husband?

"He turned 29 this year."

11 years then...

"Why did he wait so long before trying to...find a wife?"

"It is the customary age. And next I assume you are probably going to ask why you and Este had been picked?"

"That would be useful to know."

"There aren't...suitable women in the unmarked lands. His highness had to look beyond the border and as both your estates are bordering the unmarked lands he took an interest in the people that live on it. He learned what he could about both of you and then decided to bring you here."

"Bring us here? Does he really have such power?"

Hiro seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"Yes... his highness has complete control of these parts of the unmarked lands, which we call the Shadowlands. There are other parts that are ruled by others..."

"The unmarked lands seem a lot bigger than what is indicated on our maps."

"Very observant of you, Miss Monforte. The unmarked lands are not bound by the natural and physical laws you are familiar with. It can be manipulated."

"Manipulated?"

"How do you think you got lost on your way home and ended up here?"

"That makes sense..."

We walked a bit in silence.

"Who else are in the unmarked lands?" I meant to ask what else, but decided it would be rude...

"There are several kingdoms each with their own rulers. As to the inhabitants, I don't think I need to explain much to you. You like reading, don't you?"

"Yes...?" What did that have to do with anything?

"You seem very interested in our lands. The royal library contains all the information you need. I will arrange with a maid to take you there later."

"Don't I need his majesty's permission or something?"

"He actually suggested it. He understands that you and Este know very little about our lands and as a prospective queen it would be in your best interest to learn about our ways."

"Well, I am curious about learning about this place, but I don't think I need to know everything. Este already declared that she was going to marry his highness."

Hiro looked at me with a surprised expression.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, and once she's got something in her head there is no changing it."

"You forget however, Miss Monforte, that the decision is not hers or yours to make."

I was getting angry now.

"What?! Surely he can't force me to marry him! I won't allow it! I mean, he seems like a nice enough guy and all, but..."

"You want to marry for love?"

It was my turn to look at Hiro with surprise. Did he listen in on my conversation earlier with Este?

"Have you considered that you might just find what you are looking for? How will you know unless you give it a try?"

Hiro had a point, but I didn't like it that either one of us HAD to marry the king. That's not how it's supposed to work!

I sighed.

"Perhaps..." was all I said.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A week passed in which Este and I had 'dates' with the king. He was always very polite to me, but I somehow felt that there was not much spark between us. Not that it mattered. I mean, who cares that he is another guy that just gave me one look and says 'meh' and tossed me on the side. I had that before. Like at the party Este and I left behind. I noticed at least two guys that checked me out, but then decided I wasn't worth the effort. _Bastards!_ Just because I am shy and didn't flaunt my boobs in their faces like someone else I know I am being thrown on the ash heap!

I enjoyed the times more that I had with Hiro. It seemed like he would be with whoever was not with the king, unless he had 'other duties'. I once asked him what duties he had, but he didn't want to elaborate. He always treated me like a butler would treat a guest, nothing less and nothing more. This hurt me a bit. Was I never good enough for any decent guy?

One morning I heard some maids chattering nervously.

"His highness is surely going to behead him!"

"Oh! How could he have done that?! He should know better than to betray his master!"

When they saw me they quickly bowed their heads to me and rushed off.

What on earth was that all about, I wondered. Traitor? I followed in the direction they had left. Soon I got to door that exited onto a wall. From there I could see over a courtyard. It was packed with what looked like castle staff. I noticed Hiro and the king standing in the middle. Hiro was addressing them.

"...as you all know, betrayal is a serious offence in the Unmarked lands. It can mean the end of a kingdom." He kept silent a bit and the crowd whispered amongst themselves.

The accused stood with his head bowed and didn't say anything. I wondered what exactly this man did wrong? I've obviously missed part of Hiro's speech. Just then the accused man suddenly pulled out a knife from his shirt. Hey, wasn't his hands bound just a moment ago?! He was going to stab Hiro, who's back was facing him as he was addressing the crowd.

"Hiro!" I shouted. At the same time the king had in one swift movement pulled the long thin sword from his hip and pierced the man right through his stomach. The crowd was in uproar. The accused man gripped onto the sword that stuck out his stomach and then sunk to his knees. His form changed. His skin became grey and his body became taller and he had devil-like wings. He screamed something in a language I didn't understand, but sounded very rude. Hiro said something in return to him, but I couldn't hear what he said, then he looked up to me and his eyes met mine. I had thought that the noise of the crowd had drowned out my shout... That was when the king pulled his sword out of the creature's stomach and cut its head right off. Its body fell over and the head rolled towards the crowd. I felt the blood leave my face. There was so much blood... I felt like I was going to get sick and rushed away.

I kept to my room for the rest of that day. A maid brought me my meals to my room, but I couldn't eat much. Later Este came around to check up on me. She didn't know what happened this morning, she said she heard a bit of noise and asked if I knew what had happened. I was still too shocked to talk about it and said that I wasn't sure either.

The next day we were informed that the king had to attend to urgent matters relating to his lands and that he and Hiro would be out for most of the day. This meant that we had to keep ourselves entertained.

Este surprisingly came by my room again and couldn't talk enough about how wonderful the king is.

"We went to this river not far from the castle and I almost fell in. He grabbed me just in time! He's so strong! I think I'm already in love with him!"

"How can you love someone you barely know?" The image of the king slicing the head of the demon (I think that is what it was) was not a very friendly one. I don't know if I could love someone like that...

"You know, love at...fifth sight, or whatever."

I felt a bit annoyed by her bubbly talk. It seems like they are really hitting it off. She knew more about him than I did, even though I asked him about himself. He didn't seem to like talking about himself for some reason. Perhaps it was just me giving off the wrong vibe or something...

"Oh, and he said we can arrange a ball sometime. People from the other kingdoms will attend and everything!"

"Oh, great..." I said with not much enthusiasm.

"What?"

I wasn't going to tell her that I felt jealous that she just gets along with every guy she meets. I've never had much luck when it came to boyfriends. I spoken more to Hiro than I did to all the other guys I've met together and that's just because he is being ordered to by the king. How pathetic!

"Nothing...I am bored, let's take a walk to that river you spoke of."

"Yeah, why not?"

The sky was somewhat clouded over. When we were about to exit the gate a maid came running to us.

"Where are you going, Misses'?" she asked in a panic.

"We're just going to the river near hear – don't worry, I've been there before with his highness and know what to watch out for!" Este told her. Her eyes widened a bit.

"But...but...!"

"Don't worry, we'll be back by midday!" The flustered maid hurried inside the castle.

The riverbank was quite steep. I could see how it is easy to slip and it would be difficult to get out when the banks are wet and muddy. I kept a safe distance from the side. In the meanwhile Este was already planning out her honeymoon and everything.

"So what do you think, do they have beach cottages in these lands?"

"I have no idea...buy the way Hiro told me that the queen needs to read up about the ways of the land, so if I was you I'd get reading! Perhaps you'll find out where potential honeymoon beach cottages are."

She pulled a face at me.

"That's boring! Next time I see the king I'll just ask him."

Just then I thought I heard a sound.

"Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"I heard a growl..."

"What?! Where?"

"Shhhh!"

Just then we saw the biggest dog-like animal I've ever seen come out of the bushes. It was heading to a lower bank of the river that was less steep. I froze on the spot. This wasn't good!

Este panicked and slipped, sliding halfway down the bank.

"Aaaaaah!" she yelled. This made the creature look up at us. I wish I didn't see its face. It had yellow eyes and very sharp teeth.

"Grab my hand, quick!" I yelled and reached out to Este. She grabbed it and I almost slipped down as well. I steadied my boots into the mud and pulled hard. Thank goodness for putting on sturdy sensible boots this morning even though Este said I looked like I was going mountaineering. I kept an eye on the creature and saw that it hadn't moved yet, it was still trying to decide if we were a threat or food.

"What shall we do...what shall we do?!" Este was almost chanting.

"Run!" I saw that the creature was slowly starting to come towards us.

"Wha..."

"Run dammit!" I yelled and pushed Este. She seemed to come out of her stupor and ran. We both ran like we never did before. It was not so easy because the ground was muddy at places and we eventually reached the patch were the road was very close to the steep riverbank. The dark water looked very ominous and it had pieces of what looked like ice drifting in it! I kept looking over my shoulder to check if the creature was following us. It looked like we're sa... Just then my boot hit a root and I tripped. I heard Este yell. Before I knew what was happening I had slid down and fell into the water. It was so cold that it instantaneously squashed all the air out of me and everything became black.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Mnnnm..."

I gradually became aware of warmth. It felt so good. I could breathe again. Was this heaven? Did I die? I slowly forced my eyes open. I could see I'm inside a room, perhaps in the castle? Did they have castles in heaven too? There was softness underneath me and covering me. I was lying on a bed. There was a huge fireplace burning, heating up the room. My back especially felt warm... That is odd, my back is facing away from the fireplace? I realised that I was being held by someone. I very slowly looked at the arm that was gently holding my waist. It was a man's... OMW! I got up quickly and felt very dizzy which made me lean against the wall. The man woke and sat up. It was the king.

"What?!" I almost yelled in surprise.

"Calm down, you have nothing to be afraid off," the king said. I noticed that his upper body was naked...and so was I. I quickly grabbed a furry blanket that was lying on the bed and covered myself.

"What is going on?!" I asked in panic.

"You fell into the river. You are lucky that you are alive at all, considering that the water temperature is lethal and that it is infested with mermaids." He got up out of bed and stood there in all his manly glory. My face instantly burst into flames from embarrassment and I looked away.

"But...but...why am I naked with you in bed?!"

"Perhaps because we decided that we loved each other and made passionate love?" I looked at his face in shock and saw a faint smile. Surely we didn't? It didn't feel like anything happened down there...He laughed a bit and then continued in a more serious tone.

"I happened to hear that you left the castle ground without my permission and arrived just in time to save you and Este from certain death. After hauling you from the water and getting rid of the wolf that was trailing you, you needed to be warmed very fast and there wasn't much time. This was the quickest way." He started putting on his clothes.

"Really?" I still felt very uncomfortable about us both being naked...

"Make of it as you will, Catherine, but know that I will not take a woman that way by force. I must say that you have a beautiful body and I would love to make you mine."

"Wha...?!"

He laughed again. "Just rest and get better. It is enough for me that you are alive and well enough to argue with me."

With that he left the room. I stood there, still in shock. My mind couldn't wrap itself around what had happened. I tried to recall it as I was getting dressed. So, it was a wolf...it was much bigger than an ordinary wolf. Werewolf? I somehow remember two voices, the one was Hiro's, but the other wasn't human at all...

Eventually I gathered enough courage to leave the room. A maid directed me to my own room so that I could take a bath and relax. I told her that I wouldn't be eating in the dining hall that night. I wasn't ready to face the king again, and what do I say to Este? And Hiro? The king risked his own life to save mine. I had thought he didn't like me that much... I remembered his words:

"...I'd love to make you mine..." Was he being serious? I felt all sorts of strange conflicting feelings. What was this? Was I just being gullible?

Some food was brought up to me and I ate it alone. I was still very tired and very soon after fell asleep. I dreamed that someone stroked my hair and whispered to me: "everything will be alright, my sparrow."

The next morning I woke from a weight falling on my bed.

"Wha...?!" I sat up quickly in bewilderment, but then saw it was Este.

"Good morning to you too sleepy head!" She seemed like she was drifting on cloud nine.

"But it's not even light yet!" I complained. My head still felt a little like lead. I just wanted to sleep.

"It's already 7 o'clock, they will be serving us breakfast in the dining hall at 7:30."

"I don't think I'll go..." I grumbled and pressed my face into the pillow.

"What?! No, you have to. The king and Hiro are worried about you."

"Really?"

"Yes, and ooh – I've been waiting to tell you this!" she said very excitedly.

"Don't tell me he proposed to you?"

"Huh? No, man it's not that – not yet anyway. It's about what happened at the river. You fell in and just then the king and Hiro arrived. The king transformed into an even more bad-ass wolf than the one that was chasing us and chased it away! You should have seen him! I've never been so terrified in my life!"

"The king...is a werewolf?" I found it hard to understand, "you are pulling my leg, right?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't know, perhaps to make me scared of him so I would avoid his advances..."

"Advances? Did you come onto you?" Este asked, not sounding too happy.

"Er...no! That's not what I meant!" I said quickly, but knew that my whole face had gone red. The image of him standing naked in front of me was not one I was easily going to forget...

"Good! I don't want us to be enemies now, you know I've taken dibs on him!"

"Yeah..." I wondered what we were then, something between friends and enemies? Frenemies?

"Come-on! Get ready, we need to get to the dining hall!" Este was so chirpy this morning I expected her to grow wings and fly any moment.

"Este, don't you find it disturbing that we are surrounded by all sorts of...creatures?"

"I think it is great! I am surprised at you, you were usually the one talking about fairies and goblins and stuff all the time when we were little. You always claimed that they were real and that you one day would go and live with them."

"I did?" I had forgotten that. I've always loved fiction fantasy stories and read many books. But then I had to push it aside in high school to focus on getting good marks and then for my accounting books...

"Ugh..." I sat with my head in my hands. Now it's throbbing even worse.

"What's wrong Cat?"

"I just remembered that I still have to tell my parents I flunked my exam this semester."

"So? Just do it again."

"It's just...never mind."

"Stop dilly-dallying already," she said and pulled the duvet cover off me.

"Hey! Careful with the almost drowned humanoid here!"

She laughed and pulled me up and I had no choice but to be led to the cupboard. She searched through it and picked out a frilly dark pink summers dress and gold sandals with dark pink gems set on them. The gems sparkled and I couldn't help but wonder how they got the plastic to look so real...

"Here, put this on!"

"Why are you dressing me today, exactly?"

"Because I want to...and you need some fashion sense. Man, that dress you wore the other made you look like homeless woman trying to hide a fat stomach."

"Ouch..."

"At least the mountaineering outfit was a bit better...only slightly...this dress is feminine and the colour goes well with your hair and eye colour. You should let your hair loose, don't try to hide the curls all the time."

Este waited for me to change and then styled me hair for me. Wow, they even had hair curlers and everything here...

"Este, what is going on?" I asked impatiently.

"I just thought I repay you for...being nice to me the other day when I slipped."

"Okay...and that's it?"

"What?! How can you suspect me of ulterior motives?" She did however have a million watt smile on her face...

"If you make me look too nice the king might like me better than you, you know."

She stopped what she was doing for a moment and looked straight back at me in the mirror as if evaluating me.

"Nah, I don't think he would," she said after a bit of silence. I felt miffed and was just about to give her a piece of my mind.

"Besides I think the butler fancies you more."

"What?!" Hiro? I could feel my face getting hot. Surely not...

"He was the one that practically flew into the water after you without any hesitation and when he came back up the bank with you in his arms he ordered the king to take you back to the castle to have you warmed up."

Hiro ordered the king? That doesn't make sense...

"The king was still in his werewolf form and would be the fastest way to get you back to the castle, so Hiro draped you on the king's back and he ran off with you. I was so jealous, I wish he would run of with me instead...perhaps I should ask him to change sometime and..."

"Este, too much info!" I quickly said. I was relieved that she didn't seem to suspect anything about me and the king. I wondered why the king told me he saved me if it was Hiro that went after me into the water? The water is supposedly lethally cold and would kill a human within 30 seconds. What was Hiro?

I felt very confused as we made our way to the dining hall. The king never showed much interest in me before, why the sudden change? And Hiro? I thought he only saw me as a guest of the king... or perhaps he did what he thought was expected of him as the king's butler? That must be it...

The king stood up when we came in. His eyes rested on Este for a moment longer than was comfortable before he looked at me and smiled.

"Good morning Catherine, you look better."

"Thanks..." I mumbled, "Este dressed me up."

"Aw, you're not supposed to say that!" Este complained, "spoil sport!"

I was still feeling a bit crabby because I always seem to take second place to Este. Even in school guys always swarmed around her. She dated more boys than I could count. Was that all I was to the king? A nice body to get cosy with if he wanted to?

"Oh, sorry. I was supposed to make you believe that I am the eternally thankful damsel in distress who decided to dress all girly to impress you."

"Cat?!" Esme sounded shocked, but I didn't care.

"Thank you...for saving us." I only glanced in Hiro's direction and then sat down. I knew I was acting childish. I didn't want to hurt like this anymore. I didn't think that I'm totally unattractive or anything. I just wanted someone to want to know me and love me for whom I am. Was that too much to ask?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I ate breakfast in silence while Este chirped away to the king. He didn't speak much. Perhaps I offended him?

"Oh, I forgot to tell you Cat! We will be having a ball here next weekend!"

"Really?" I asked without much enthusiasm. Great, another opportunity for me to get ignored. My self-esteem was pretty low at the moment. I just wanted to crawl in a hole somewhere and die.

The king cleared his throat.

"About the ball..."

We both looked at him.

"I will be announcing who I will marry at midnight."

"Ooh, like Cinderella!" Este said delightedly.

"The prince doesn't marry her at midnight, the spell wears off and she has to flee to cover up the fact that she wasn't a princess, " I said and shoved another piece of bacon into my mouth.

"Wow, are you in a good mood today Cat? I bet you are worried that the king is going to choose me!"

I almost choked on the bacon.

"Are you okay? Have some water!" Este practically flung the glass across the table like a bar-maid would a jug of bear. I caught it just in time and drank some to try to cover my embarrassment. I wasn't used to this Este, she was like she was running on espresso coffee or something.

"Thanks."

I was relieved when breakfast was over and the king asked Este to go with him. Hiro had left sometime during breakfast and I was left alone with a maid. She asked me if she could show me somewhere. I told her no and left. I wanted to be alone and walked outside. The air was cool and fresh. I inhaled the scent of flowers. I looked into the distance and noticed the paddocks. One particular horse looked very familiar. That must be Denushka! I felt happy to see him, but then dread sunk over me. He could or could not be a kelpie, and what I saw that night was still haunting me.

"Are you okay, Miss?" Hiro's voice sounded up next to me suddenly. I jumped a bit because I didn't hear him at all. I bet he _is_ a vampire...

"Do I look okay?" I asked sarcastically and then regretted being nasty while he looked genuinely concerned.

"Sorry...I am just not feeling like myself again yet..."

"You look beautiful," he suddenly said and I looked at him in surprise. Did he misunderstand me? He was smiling gently at me and my heart missed a beat. Why was I suddenly feeling so happy?

"It is understandable, most humans would not have survived what you did," he continued as if he didn't just tell me I'm pretty.

"Err... thank you. Este told me that you dived in after me."

"It was nothing," he replied. He glanced at him and he seemed to be a bit...embarrassed? Or was I imagining it?

I didn't realise that we walked to the paddocks. I could see Denushka not far from here. He stopped grazing and looked at me. I so much wanted to stroke his neck the way I always did.

"Go to him," Hiro said.

"Wha... I can't, I'm scared of him now."

"Like I've said before they are no threat in their daytime form and besides...he has made a bargain. No one would make a bargain with the king and not keep it."

"The woman..." I said sadly. I wondered what happened to her? Had he drowned and eaten her?

"I'll go riding with you."

Hiro whistled and another horse, with pale gold skin came running to us. It stopped by Hiro and nudged his hand. It had dark red eyes.

"This is Heliodor," he said and the horse looked at me.

"Err...hi?"

The horse lost interest in me and continued nudging Hiro.

"Do they understand us?" I asked Hiro.

"Yes, they cannot talk in their horse form, but can understand us perfectly."

"Oh..."

Denushka had seen Heliodor come and walked over slowly and stopped a short distance from me. I could see his tail swish and his ears were both forward, waiting for me to call him.

"Denushka," I barely whispered. It was enough for him to close the last few steps and he nipped me playfully on the shoulder like he sometimes used to do.

"Ouch! That hurts!" I couldn't help but laugh. I couldn't believe that Denushka could be anything else but my beloved horse.

We walked to were riding gear was kept and saddled our horses. It still felt a bit creepy as I lifted myself into the saddle, as if I was expecting Denushka to suddenly run off with me. Then I recalled something. The day we were fleeing from the riders he had run off with me, but to jump over the fence to save me... Why would he have done that? He could have just ditched me in the river...

It felt good to ride again and to have the wind blow through my hair and cool my face. We galloped for a while and then slowed to have the horses walk together. We didn't talk much, but it felt right to be together. The silence was not uncomfortable. We ended up being out most of the day.

"Thank you," I said to Hiro," when we finally unsaddled and were walking back to the castIe, "I never realised how much I missed this." My cheeks were flushed from the excitement.

"You are welcome, Miss Monforte. It is of utmost importance to me that our guests are happy."

I looked at him in surprise. He seemed to have snapped back into butler mode. Just then the king's voice sounded up.

"I trust you had a good ride?" he asked me and then looked over to Hiro. The king wasn't too pleased. Did Hiro do something he wasn't supposed to?

"Um...sorry, I asked him to go riding with me. I hope that was okay?"

Both of them looked at me with surprise.

The king was the first to talk.

"Well...since you asked, it is fine. However Hiro, I would like you to be more aware of your station and act accordingly," he said sternly. What was it with this guy? Was he jealous?

"Yes, my lord," Hiro said apologetically and excused himself. I felt sad because I didn't want him to go. I wanted to spend more time with him.

"Este has asked me to let you know she has gone to her room and expects you to meet her there when you're ready," he then said to me.

"Oh, okay."

He gestured to me to walk beside him and I reluctantly did so.

"You must also be aware of your position here at the castle, Catherine. You are ...potentially the next queen. As such I expect you to behave appropriately."

What?!

"I did nothing wrong! We just went for a ride, it wasn't like I was eloping with Hiro or anything!" I defended.

"Ah, now in that lies the problem...you never call me by name except when I remind you to, but you use Hiro's name without hesitation."

I never realised...

"Am I correct to say that you may have developed...feelings for him?"

"That's a very personal question!" I retorted. Was I falling in love with Hiro? Would the king punish him for that?

"Please," I pleaded, "H...he didn't do anything wrong. He has always treated me with the greatest respect and never failed in his duties as butler. If anyone is to blame, it is me and I will carry full responsibility for it. I'll...be more aware of my position from now on."

The king listened to me in silence.

"Very well, do so. I would hate for something to happen to either of you because of your actions."

Was he black-mailing me now? I had to bite on my tongue to prevent me from saying anything more.

"You are excused," the king said dismissively.

I bowed my head and made my way to Este's room. I was feeling very angry, sad and depressed at the same time. I realised something. I really like Hiro. He was so nice to me today and I love his company. Was I imagining it that he might feel the same? I had thought that perhaps the king had told Hiro to take me out for a ride, but he didn't know about it... does that mean Hiro took me out because he wanted to cheer me up?

Este gave me the latest update of their date and it sounded like they had a nice time. Why would the king still consider me a potential queen if he clearly enjoys Este's company more than mine? Is it because of my body? Could he really be that vain?

After a while I excused myself and went to my room. I felt so frustrated. Why couldn't love be simple? A tear escaped my eye and before I knew it I was bawling my eyes out in my pillow.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The next week passed faster than I expected. As promised I limited my interactions with Hiro. He also acted more formal to me than before. Most of the times that Este was with the king I went to the library. I felt very unhappy, but tried my best not to show it in front of others. A few nights now I've cried until I couldn't cry anymore. I had to accept the facts. Hiro is the king's butler. I couldn't expect him to suddenly go against his master, but it hurt that he seemingly didn't fight for me. Perhaps I did read the signs wrong and he was genuinely just being nice... The king seemed to pay more attention to me this week as well. Even though he was being considerate in small things, I didn't feel for him what I was feeling for Hiro.

The night of the ball arrived. This time we weren't allowed to choose our own outfits. Este and I were treated to full-on spa treatment during the day. Even though it was wonderful, I couldn't enjoy it to the full. I just wanted the night to end and get things over with. The king never indicated conclusively whom he might choose. I couldn't eat that day. Luckily the king and Hiro weren't present and we would only see them that night at the ball. What if he did chose me?

The dress I was given to wear was a turquoise colour corset-type dress that pushed up your boobs and made your waist look thin. The bottom came out slightly and hung all the way to the floor, almost covering the shoes. They were dainty high-heeled shoes covered in small little turquoise stones that sparkled. My hair was curled even more and done up for me. Little gems and flowers were put in my hair. They even did my nails. Then the make-up. Lastly I was given a necklace to put on. It looked very expensive and had a tear-shaped sapphire blue gem set into the gold. Only then was I allowed to look at myself in the mirror and thought I was someone else. My eyes looked brighter and my complexion was perfect, the make-up was done very well. The dress shaped me so that I had all the right curves in all the right places. This made me nervous. I didn't want to look this way, what if this sways the king to choose me? I made my way over to Este's room and was relieved to see that she was dressed just as beautiful, but her dress was a one-shoulder mermaid style dress in dark grey. Her high-heel shoes were covered in black gems and she also had a mesh of black gems around her neck. Her make-up was different from mine in that she had the whole smokey-eye thing going that made her eyes look bluer than ever. It all fitted perfectly with her white hair.

Once she was done we were asked to wait a bit. We could hear and see horses, carriages and even cars drive up the castle. This seemed like a big event...who knew? Eventually we were taken to the main hall where we were pretty much left on our own. I couldn't see the king or Hiro anywhere. People were very interested in us and we soon had a fair share of mingling with the crowd. We were offered wine and I must have had about three glasses already or was that four? Which is a record breaker for me and it was starting to get to my head.

"So, you are one of the prospective candidates?" a woman's voice asked. I turned and saw a drop-dead gorgeous woman dressed in a to-die-for red dress. Her black hair hung smoothly down her back – I wish I could have smooth black hair! Then I noticed that her eyes were gold too...

"Sorry," I said when I realised I had been gawking at her and that she was expecting an answer from me, "I am not a candidate, I am merely here to enjoy good food, good conversation and then go home," I said as I lifted my glass to her as in a toast gesture.

"You seem to be drunk. That's disgraceful behaviour of someone who could potentially become queen of the Shadowlands. I still think Hiro is wrong, someone like me would make a much better queen don't you think?" she asked. Wow, no shortage on arrogance, I thought. What...did she say Hiro thought...I would be a better queen?

"Be my guest! I don't want to marry someone I don't love so you are welcome to!" I said as I stumbled slightly and suddenly felt very nauseous. This can't be happening...

"Excuse me!" I said and rushed to the bathroom. I felt like a disgrace. A sad looking woman stared back to me in the mirror as I rinsed my mouth and splashed some water on my cheeks. Some colour returned. A sad looking drunk woman. I giggled to myself, thinking how ridiculous this is. I should just go to my room and sleep. When I left the bathroom my escape was cut off by a man that asked me to dance. Not wanting to be rude I accepted and ended up embarrassing him with my clumsiness which was amplified by the alcohol. Several people were staring at me and whispering. It all just became too much and I dashed, well more "fast-stumbled" my way out of the hall. On the way to my room I crossed the courtyard, the one that had the fountain in and sat down on it to steady my head a little. I felt miserable. I looked on my watch. Ten o'clock. Two hours before the announcement. Then I started crying and that made me feel even more miserable because my eyes was red and puffy now too.

"A beautiful lady in distress, oh what shall I do?" a strangely accented man's voice sounded up. I looked quickly in the direction of the voice. A very regal looking man was standing there. He had long blonde hair and wore a white suit with silver trimmings. His eyes were gold as well.

"W...who are you?" I asked as I tried to wipe the tears off my cheeks. I hoped the mascara was waterproof...

"I? I am king Wilfred from the kingdom of Devonia, at your service," he said and bowed to me, "may I ask your name and why you are out here by yourself crying?"

Another king? What is it with this place and bachelors? Or perhaps he was married and didn't care...

"Um... Cat...my name is Catherine Monforte."

"What a beautiful name," Wilfred said as he sat down next to me and took my hand in his with a very smooth elegant movement and planted a kiss on the back of my hand. I was stunned. Why on earth would this guy be wooing a girl who is a nobody and has puffy eyes from crying.

"You have been staying at Shadowlands Castle, have you not?"

"Er...yes?" I felt my spine tingle, something seems a bit off...

"Good. I just wanted to make sure it is you."

"Why are you asking me?"

"Well, everyone in the Unmarked lands knows that the king of Shadowlands is wanting a wife."

I blushed. Probably also the alcohol talking.

"And...of what importance is it to you?"

"Well, I am actually also looking for a wife. I met the other one that stays here as well and found her...lacking. You however, are a rare jewel."

"A what?!" I got up, stumbled a bit and step away from him. He got up smoothly and was coming closer.

"Back off!" an angry voice cut in and made King Wilfred stop in his tracks. We both turned to look at who it was.

"Hiro!" I exclaimed in relief. I noticed that he was dressed very regal as well. If I hadn't known better I would thought him a prince or king.

"Oh, so you finally decided to show up. Verona is so looking forward to talking to you."

I recalled that the woman in red's name was Verona.

Hiro walked over to me and pulled me closer to him. Being unstable on my feet I fell against him.

"She's mine!" he almost shouted at King Wilfred.

"Fine, fine! I'll back off this round...until we meet again, my lady," he said before slowly walking off towards the main hall again.

"Hiro?" I asked.

"Are you hurt?" he asked while he was still holding me.

"No...not physically," I said and then quickly continued, "Sorry! I don't know what I'm saying, I'm drunk!"

"That you are, but in my experience alcohol makes people more honest. I have hurt your feelings and apologise."

I pushed myself away from Hiro and almost fell over backwards. The high heel shoes weren't my friend right now... He grabbed me to prevent my fall and then picked me up bridal style.

"Let me go!" I said crossly.

"I won't, not this time!"

"What? Why are you doing this?"

"I will explain to you when we are somewhere...more private."

I kept quiet while he carried me into the castle to a wing I haven't been in before. It was too far away from the main hall to hear the music. He pushed open a door and we entered a very luxurious room. It was decorated in shades of black, grey and gold. Oriental style. He put me down on the huge bed that had black satin linen on it. Wow, I thought. What a life for a butler!

"Is this your room?" I asked after having looked around from where I was sitting. As long as I didn't move too much I felt okay. Almost like when you have too much Tequila. The decor spoke of sophistication and minimalism. There were only a few ornaments in the room like vases. They all had gold inserts on them and looked expensive.

"Yes."

I was feeling a bit uncomfortable. Soon the announcement will be made. I shouldn't be alone here with Hiro, but there is nowhere else I'd rather be at the same time. How bittersweet...

"Catherine..." Hiro said as he kneeled in front of me and gently caressed my cheek in his hand. This was the first time he ever used my name and didn't call me Miss Monforte.

"I want to make love to you tonight."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

My heart did a double-take. That was the last thing I expected him to say.

"Why?"

"I never thought this was possible...that a woman would steal my heart."

I did? Did he really love me? Was that what he was saying?! I blushed.

"How can you want to be with me while I'm in such a state? I must look terrible..." I lowered my face, but he lifted my chin up again.

"Your tears are beautiful to me, Catherine. They tell me that you feel the same way about me."

"I...I do."

With that his lips found mine as he pulled himself onto the bed next to me. His arms held me tight as his kissed deepened and then trailed down my neck.

"You looked absolutely stunning tonight," he murmured. I had difficulty breathing, partly because of the corset and partly from the excitement of being caressed by the man I love.

"This dress must be uncomfortable, let me loosen it for you," Hiro said as his hands slid towards my back to untie the buttons.

"Wait!" I said in panic. I wasn't sure if I was ready for this. I was still a virgin and would only be legally an adult when I turn 18 in a month's time. What if I fall pregnant?

"Please let me quench the burning desire in my loins, fair maiden, for I shall not find peace for my soul otherwise," he said still softly kissing my neck while his hands continued unbuttoning the dress at the back.

Was he going all Shakespeare-like now? Somehow it sounded very sexy, like we were in an era long ago. The last button came loose and his hands started loosening the corset strings.

"I...Hiro! What if the king chooses me? We'll be in great trouble!" I said in a desperate attempt to get him to stop, but it didn't seem to deter him at all. At the same time I didn't want him to stop. What was wrong with me?! His lips found mine again, as if to prevent me from speaking. The strings came loose and his hand slid down the front of my dress to cup my breast.

"Oh!" I couldn't help buy moan from pleasure as his thumb circled my nipple and made it hard.

"I want you," Hiro whispered in my ear, "I won't let anyone else have you."

He pushed me down onto the bed and pulled the dress away from me. Then he took off his clothes while keeping touching and caressing me. I felt like my whole body was on fire and I had a throbbing feeling down there. He lifted me and placed me further up on the bed so that I could lay comfortably with my head on a pillow before he got on top of me.

"Do you love me?" he suddenly whispered in my ear. I was so embarrassed from us being naked like this that I could barely whisper my answer.

"Yes... I love you Hiro."

As if that was all he needed he plunged into me. It felt a bit like something tore inside me, but he kept pushing and then maintained a steady rhythm. Every thrust sent a wave of pleasure over me. I could feel his lean muscular abdomen each time it pressed against my softer stomach and my breasts were trapped under his hard chest. It did not take long before we both found sweet release. He then lay down next to me, still holding me. I could feel his heartbeat. Mine was also beating fast, but more from excitement as I had only been lying on my back. I wouldn't be able to move much anyway. The alcohol made my head spin if I tried. I felt so happy. I wanted to stay in Hiro's arms forever. I turned slowly while my head protested and wrapped my arms around him and lay my head on his chest. I noticed that his body temperature was slightly cool. Perhaps he was feeling a bit cold? I pulled the satin duvet up to cover us more.

"There, there, my little sparrow," he said softly as he stroked my hair. Then I fell asleep.

I woke up feeling very happy and content, but with a slight hang-over. I turned around to see if Hiro was still sleeping and discovered that I was alone. I tried to put my dress on or at least as much of it as I could and left his room. A maid was waiting outside the door and offered to take me back to my room. I felt a bit embarrassed, but she didn't seem to be interested in why I was in Hiro's room and only half-way dressed. She took me a different way from which Hiro brought me here yesterday and from one point I could see the main portal. A lot of people were running around. I couldn't make out what the commotion was about so I asked the maid.

"His highness has announced his bride, my lady. Everyone is getting ready to celebrate your union."

"My...WHAT?!"

"His lordship chose you, my lady."

I felt all the colour drain from my face. How could this happen?

We arrived at me room and I asked the maid to leave me. She said that she would wait outside to take me to the king when I am ready. There was no way I was going to do that! OMW, what should I do?! I was no longer a virgin. If I pretended...would he still know? Ugh! I don't even want to think of doing it with him! I can't! What will happen to Hiro if he found out? The image of the king piercing through the traitor popped up in my head. If he sees Hiro as a traitor... I made a decision changed into my old riding clothes again. The only way would be for me to leave.

I climbed down the creeper outside my balcony once again and ran to the stables. There was some people around, mostly stable helps. I kept out of sight as much as possible. I found Denuska's stable and snuck in. Denuska made a little happy noise.

"Shhh!" I said quickly, "Denuska...I've messed up really bad...I need to get out of here. Could you please help me?"

He looked at me silently for a while and then slowly nodded. I wouldn't be able to get his saddle and bridle without being noticed so I got onto his bare back and held onto his mane. He started running as soon as I was seated. A stable help just entered the stables and had to jump out of the way. I just duck my head down and held on. Denushka ran like the devil himself was chasing him. I had no idea where we were going. I felt like ages before he eventually slowed down. I sat up and looked at my surroundings. Where were we?

Just then he stopped dead.

"Is this the border?" I asked. Perhaps things would look more familiar once we crossed it? We were suddenly confronted by several riders.

"Denuska?" I asked, but he didn't respond to me even when I nudged him. I got off quickly and ran. I heard the sound of a horse galloping towards me and then it blocked my way. I yelled.

"As I said we would we meet again," a vaguely familiar voice said. It was king Wilfred!

"You?!"

He laughed as he slid of his horse. He pulled my closer to him by my arm and seemed to sniff me, which seemed strange.

"He's had you, but not claimed you yet!" he exclaimed in a sardonically happy voice. What on earth was he talking about?

The other riders didn't come closer to us, but seemed to wait a short distance from us as if to give us privacy. Where they his guards? Then I realised that king Wilfred had taken out a dagger from his belt. It wasn't very big, but very ornate. It almost reminded me of the ritual blades I sometimes saw in fantasy books. The kind that was used for spells. My eyes widened as he cut into his palm. I never handled blood very well and felt faint.

"What are you doing?!"

I tried to get away from him, but saw that the riders had spread so that they block my way if I decided to run.

"Come here!" he commanded.

"No! I don't want to be part of what it is you are doing!"

I desperately tried to get past one of the riders, but he kicked me in the chest with his boot so that I fell. The next moment king Wilfred grabbed my arm, dagger in his other hand. I screamed.

A deafening growl made Wilfred look up in surprise. I used the moment to kick him and managed to get my arm loose and crawled away from him. He seemed to have lost interest in me and got up and sheathed the dagger onto his belt. The next moment the earth shook as the largest dragon I've ever seen (well, actually also the only real dragon I've seen) landed not far from us. A very angry dragon. I tried to stand up, but my body refused to do anything but tremble.

"Attack!" king Wilfred ordered his men and they did as they were commanded. The dragon snorted as if offended and breathed fire. Those riders didn't stand a chance... I only then realised that they were a decoy. King Wilfred had changed shape and also became a dragon! Soon the two dragons were fighting fiercely. I managed to crawl further away. It was already dusk so I couldn't see what was happening so nicely. Every time one of the dragons breathed fire the sky and surroundings lit up and scorched anything it touched. I eventually managed to stand up.

"Where do you think you are going?" a man's voice sounded up. A naked man stood in front of me. What on earth?!

"Who...who are you?" I asked in surprise.

"You've been riding me the whole afternoon and you don't know? Tsk...tsk..."

What?! This isn't Denuska... he doesn't look like the man I had seen in the stables that night...

"Get away from her!" another man's voice ordered. This was the man that I thought was Denushka. He was dressed in gold armour and brandished an axe.

"Are you really going to prevent a man from having a bit of fun?" the naked man asked, but he backed away from me.

"She belongs to his royal highness of the Shadowlands. What you are wanting to do is a crime punishable by death."

The next moment I heard 'swoop' and an arrow lodged itself into the naked man's chest. Then Denushka swung his axe. I couldn't look and sunk down on the spot. I couldn't handle this. All the fighting and death around me... The dragons were still fighting in a distance. Every time they touched ground the earth trembled.

"My queen?"

I looked up at the man who had his hand stretched out to me.

"Denuska? Is that you?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Yes, my lady. I am sorry that this had to happen to you. Please keep close to me in case there are ...others."

I took his hand and let him pull me up. I was still in shock and then started crying.

"My lady..." he said unsure and then put his armour clad arm around me. I couldn't hold it in anymore and now really bawled against his armoured chest like a kid that fell of the swing.

Another ear deafening roar was heard. I looked to see what had happened and saw one of the dragons flew off. The remaining one came and landed very close to us. I automatically backed away.

"Your highness," Denuska said and sunk on one knee. Several other armoured men appeared and also did the same. Who was this? I had thought that the king was a werewolf? Did Este lie to me? I couldn't make out more than the dragon's silhouette in the dark now. It changed shape into a human form. Before I knew it I was being embraced thightly.

"Catherine!"

What?!

"Hiro?" I asked in surprise. I would recognise that voice anywhere.

"I'm so happy you are unharmed..." he seemed to be sniffing me as well. Was this a dragon thing?

"I don't understand...what...who are you?"

"I think you know what I am by now, as to who...I am the king of the Shadowlands."

"But...you've been...pretending to be a butler?"

"Shhh...I will explain everything later," he said stroking my hair. I noticed that something warm and wet covered Hiro's chest.

"You're hurt!"

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious."

Hiro whistled and Heliodor came to him in horse form. He helped me up first and then got on behind me.

"Search the area for any stragglers and kill them," he then said to Denushka and the other men with him. They nodded and quietly disappeared into the night. We rode in silence. I was very tired by the time we reached the castle. It was already dawn. A stable help came out to get Heliodor. We dismounted and my legs cramped from being in the saddle so long.

"Ouch..." I said rubbing my legs to get a bit of live back in them when Hiro swooped my up and started carrying me towards the castle.

"Wha...?!" His face was suddenly so close. I could see he looked tired.

"Your highness, you are back!" a voice interrupted my objection. It was the king...or Leslie? Who was he?

He must have noticed the blood on Hiro's and my clothes.

"Is she hurt?" he asked concerned, "let me help."

"No, I'll take care of her!" Hiro said as he just held me tighter. I tried twice to let him put me down, but he refused.

"As you wish, your highness," Leslie said and bowed his head to the king. Hiro carried me all the way back to his room. Whenever we met castle staff the bowed their heads to us and stood aside. He practically crashed with me onto the bed. He must have been even more exhausted than I was. Before I knew it we both fell asleep.

I woke first and looked at Hiro's sleeping form. His face looked relaxed, but his Mahogany hair was messy and tangled. The blood on his clothes had dried. He didn't wear armour like Denushka and the others did.

I got up softly.

"Where are you going?" he whispered without opening his eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you. I was going to ask a maid for a bowl and a cloth so I can clean your wounds."

"Don't worry about it."

"I want to!"

He sighed and I did what I said I wanted to. A maid soon returned with a bowl and cloth and some disinfectant. I was surprised that they had a product that you would find in the shops at home. They didn't live in complete isolation from the outside world then... I filled the bowl with warm water in the en-suite bathroom. It also had a minimalist oriental style. Everything was neat and in place.

I sat down on the bed next to Hiro. His eyes were still closed. I slowly unbuttoned his shirt which had several tears over the chest area. I wondered how his clothes changed when he was in dragon form? I remembered the naked man I had thought was Denushka. He must have been a shape-shifter or something. He looked exactly like Denushka in horse form... but somehow he couldn't shape-shift clothes...

The material was a bit stuck to his skin and I very slowly pulled it loose. I expected Hiro to make a sound, but he kept perfectly still. There appeared to be four gashes running diagonally from his chest to his abdomen. There was a lot of dried blood and I felt a bit faint. Perhaps it would need stitching?

"Please tell me if this hurt and I'll stop," I said as I dipped the cloth into the medicated water and slowly pressed it onto his wounds. No reaction. Either he is passed out or very brave...

"Hiro?" I asked unsure.

"Yes?" he replied.

"I'm not sure yet, but It think you might need sti..." I had just lifted the cloth and noticed that where the blood was now washed off the skin was healed underneath.

"Oh!" Dragons must heal fast...

I looked up at Hiro's face, straight into his gold eyes. So that's why his eyes are gold...

We just looked at each other in silence for a while.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered, looking down. My face felt warm.

"I am sorry too, Catherine...I should have confided in you sooner. It just wasn't the right time..." he said and I felt his hand close around mine.

"Why did you pretend to be a butler?"

Hiro laughed softly.

"I wanted to get to know...both of you without your actions being influenced by my status. Leslie and decided to switch roles for a while. This way I could observe you. You were more likely to act normal around a butler than a king."

That reminded me...

"Where is Este?"

"She's...with Leslie..." I looked at him to see what he meant.

"They seemed to have gotten along very well from the start," I commented.

"Yes..."

"Does this make you sad?" I couldn't help but ask. His eyes looked straight into mine.

"No, I have found what I hoped to find." The way he looked at me made me blush but I couldn't look away.

He sat up so that he was very close to me.

"If you look at me like that I will not be responsible for what I do to you," he whispered.

Oh!

I got up quickly.

"Err...I'll run your bathwater for you!" I said the first thing I could think of and dashed into the bathroom. What was I doing?! This will most likely result in an even more embarrassing situation... As if on cue I felt arms wrap around me from behind as soon as I stood up from pressing the plug into the bath hole.

"You sure know how to tempt me," Hiro whispered in my ear. I turned around quickly and then saw that he was naked now. I gasped. Hiro laughed at my response.

"You'd better get used to seeing me like this since you are becoming my wife very soon."

"Oh..." I didn't know what to say and stood there like a tomato-red idiot.

"The shower is designed to easily fit two people, you also need to clean off. Join me." He walked pass the bath and got into the large shower that I've been purposefully avoiding and opened the taps. I didn't know what to do... I love him, but I'm still shy to be like this with him...

"Please could you pass me the blue bottle on the shelf over there?" he asked. I handed him the bottle.

"You can also perhaps help me with my hair? It's gotten a bit tangled," he continued. What?!

After debating with myself for a while I undressed and put the bloody clothes on a heap on the floor. Hiro's back was turned to me when I entered the shower. He was spreading soap on his body. This was the first time I could see his body in bright light. He looked like a guy straight out of a men's fitness magazine. OMG...

"Here," he said and handed me a brush over his shoulder. I took it, but was unsure of what to do.

"Just pull it through, it won't hurt me."

"Okay..."

I pushed the brush into his wet hair. It was thick and quickly got stuck. I used my fingers to detangle it a bit. I managed to even out a section. Okay, now the next... I pushed the brush in again, but this time his hand came up and covered mine and guided it. He was much more forceful than me. I winced, thinking of how much that would have hurt if it was my hair... He didn't let my hand go and soon his hair was all brushed out. His hair didn't come out like you'd expect, perhaps dragon...people have different hair than humans? He turned around suddenly and lowered the brush with my hand still sandwiched between it and his hand. My heart was pounding. He looked absolutely gorgeous. His long untangled hair hung over his shoulders and water dripped down his shin and ran down his lean muscular chest.

"It's gone!" I said and reached my free hand out and touch where the blood had streaked before. There was no sign that he had been hurt at all.

"Perks of being a dragon," he said grinning at me.

"Good... I was worried about you."

"I should have played hurt a bit longer and let you fuss over me more," he said teasingly.

"That's cruel!" I retorted but smiled as well.

"You're not going to get clean staring at me all day, come!" he said and pulled me under the shower with him. I yelled playfully and splashed him with some water. The brush had fallen. We looked at each other.

"I'm NOT bending to pick that up after what happened earlier!" I joked and we both laughed.

"Aww...you just got me excited there for a moment," Hiro said and then picked it up and put it on a small shelf inside the shower. I picked up the blue bottle I had handed to him earlier.

"Is this soap or shampoo?"

"Both. It is a special formula...it might be a bit rich for you though. Wait."

He got out of the shower and after a short while returned with another bottle and a bar of soap.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said before leaving again. I washed myself and my hair. It felt good to clean off all the blood, sweat and dirt.

"The hair dryer is over there", he said to me when I entered the bedroom with a towel wrapped around me. I noticed that he didn't dry his hair, but had already braided it into the long thick braid I've gotten used to seeing. He was already half-way dressed and after tying the braid proceeded to put on his shirt. It was the one I liked what looked like an oriental-style waistcoat and shirt in one. The black one with the gold trimmings. Now it made sense to me why there was so much gold in this place...

"I must leave you for a bit. We still have guests here that are confused about what is going on. You are welcome to do what you like in the meanwhile. Just don't leave the castle on your own."

He was heading for the door. I felt a bit disappointed for some reason, but turned to go dry my hair when Hiro suddenly pulled me by the arm into an embrace and kissed me. I couldn't help but respond. We were both a bit out of breath when we eventually broke away from each other.

"I...must go now, before I lose all my self-control and spend the day in here making love to you," Hiro said. I could see desire burning in his gold eyes, which reflected what I was feeling. He left the room without looking back.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I sat down on the chair near the hairdryer in a daze. A small knock on the door not very long after Hiro left pulled me out of my daydream.

"Yes?"

"It's me!" Este's voice sounded up on the other side of the door.

"Oh...just a moment!" I replied, but then realised I didn't have clothes to change into here... how embarrassing...

I heard the door click open.

"I thought I'd bring you some clothes," Este said and held out a bundle in front of here like a peace-offering.

"Oh...why didn't you say so!" I said and took it from her. She looked around the room in wonder.

"Wow..."

"I'll just be a moment," I said and dashed into the bathroom. The clothes consisted of a pretty blouse and skirt and then I noticed the very skimpy and lacy underwear...

"What?!" I said loud enough so Este could hear. She laughed.

"You need to sexy up girl, or you'll lose your man's interest in you!" she said teasingly. My face turned red, I could see it in the bathroom mirror.

"Ugh!" I replied, but secretly felt excited. I wanted to look sexy now. I wanted Hiro to keep looking at me the way he did when he kissed me...

Just thinking of him made me all excited. I dressed and splashed my face with water to calm myself down. Get a grip Catherine!

"You look great!" Este said and winked at me when I entered the bedroom.

"Thank you..."

We looked at each other in silence.

"Are you okay?" I asked Este.

"Me? Why wouldn't I be? I found the man of my dreams and I'll get to live with him in a beautiful castle!" she said and laughed.

"I was worried about you Catherine..."

"Why?"

"Please don't get angry with me...I...I knew what was going on for a couple of days."

"You what?! How...why didn't you tell me?"

"I found out when...when Leslie and I..." she blushed and I understood.

"Oh..."

"He asked that I keep quiet about it because it was Hiro's place to tell you the truth. I am so sorry, Cat."

"Don't worry about it... I am just glad things turned out for the better."

Another moment of silence followed.

"You and I are in deep aren't we?" I asked.

"Yeah..."

"We'll need to let our folks know..."

"Leslie said that our families had been richly compensated as an assurance that we would be treated well while here. Apparently my folks went on holiday to Mauritius right away..." Este sounded bitter.

"I'm sorry Este..."

"I don't want your pity. I know my family may not be close, but it has made me strong."

"I know..."

I wonder how Anneke and my parents responded? It was true that they also at times seemed disinterested in me and they put a lot on pressure on me to study, but deep down we all cared about each other. Did they just forget about me like Este's family?

"Your father apparently refused to accept and demanded that the king speak to him face-to-face! He threatened to lay charges, but of course who is going to voluntarily go into the Unmarked lands to arrest someone?" Este chuckled.

"What?!"

"It's a good thing it's not that easy to find your way in the Unmarked lands, else it would not just be a dragon fighting your lovie!"

"That's not funny, Este!"

So they were worried about me...

Este and I were told that we'd been expected to eat breakfast in the main hall with all the other guests. I thought I would have panic attack. I hated large gatherings. It reminded me of my birthday parties that I dreaded every year... Este encouraged me and we eventually went down.

Hiro came over when he saw me and lightly took my arm in his, leading me to a chair next to his. Este went to sit next to Leslie, on Hiro's right. No-one said much, but the silence wasn't unpleasant, just slightly awkward. There was now another person that stood by as a butler by the king's side. Was this how it was before they decided to role play? There were so many people here... I could feel all the eyes on me and forced myself to breathe slowly. I happened to glance up and looked right into the face of Verona. She was sneering at me! Her gold eyes reminded me that she was a dragon too... what was the relationship between dragons, I wondered... Hiro must have noticed that I tensed up and softly squeezed my hand. After we have sat down, waiters brought in trays of food and served everyone their breakfast. The atmosphere became more relaxed as people started talking to each other.

After breakfast a butler whispered something to the king and he excused himself to go and talk with some of the guests. I was unsure what to do when Verona walked up to me.

"Don't think I've given up yet," she said as she looked at me in a way that said she thought nothing of me. I saw in the corner of my eye that Este wanted to storm over here, but Leslie held her back and whispered something to her. I would be on my own with this...

"I won't either," I said with as much conviction as I could while staring straight back at her. Her eyebrows shot up slightly.

"My, my, you actually do have a bit of spine, even though it can still be snapped like twig," she said in a voice that almost sounded like a purr. She _had_ to remind me that I'm just a squishy human.

"Could I ask you to refrain from being rude to me or I will have to ask that you leave," I said. I hope that was okay? I should have some authority as the future queen, right?

Verona looked like she was about to explode.

"How dare...!"

"Verona..." Hiro's quiet voice interrupted as he put his arm around my waist.

"I know we've known each other for...a long time, but please respect my wishes...and my fiancée."

"Oh...of course I meant no disrespect Hiro!" she retorted,"I just still feel you are making a big mistake!"

"If you would like to discuss your grievances with my affairs we can do so later, this is not the right place," he said icily. People were gathering and listening to what was going on.

"Later then," Verona said and left. Now that the excitement was over, the other guests also started leaving the dining hall.

"That was close!" Este whispered to me while Hiro was talking to Leslie. I couldn't hear what they were saying but I could see it was serious from their facial expressions.

I returned to my room and found a book on my side table. It simply said "Dragons" on it. I wonder who left this here? Not having anything else to do and scared of running into Verona when I'm alone, I plopped down on the bed and started reading.

"None of the Unmarked lands' creatures are as powerful or feared as the dragon. Dragons typically rule over large sections of land, divided into kingdoms...customary a dragon will find a suitable mate when he or she reaches the age of around a 1000 years in order to produce offspring..." OMW! Does that mean Hiro...? I read on.

"traditionally a human virgin is the first choice..." That must mean that both Este and I were still virgins! I would never have thought...

"...sometimes a dragon would mate with another dragon to produce offspring. Though the youngling is physically much stronger than a child produced by a human partner, it loses some of its humanity...dragons are fiercely competitive creatures and very jealous of what they consider theirs..."

Was that the problem? Verona wanted to be with Hiro...does she consider him hers?

"...while a female dragon has no problem bearing and birthing a human sired child, human women are not able to birth children sired by a dragon unless the dragon shares some of his blood with her...in order to maintain a balance between the natural raw strength of the dragon and human intelligence every third generation has to choose a fellow dragon-human offspring as mate."

I remembered how Wilfred cut his arm and then wanted to cut me as well. He had said that Hiro had not claimed me yet. Why did he want to mix his blood with mine? It doesn't make sense...but then I saw the next section.

"Dragon blood have many magical properties. It can be used to heal, but at the same time creates a bond between the dragon and the human, therefore only very small quantities should be used in healing. The more blood shared the stronger the bond. The effect on humans can be drastic, compared to some to being "spellbound" to the dragon.

So if Wilfred forced his blood into me, I would have been bound to him... I never realised there was so much to know about dragons! I continued reading.

"Dragons heal fast and have impenetrable skin when it comes to normal weaponry. Only the talons of another dragon can inflict damage to a dragon, or one of the Draconian blades of which there are only a few in existence and they generally in the possession of dragons for blood exchanging... In human form dragons can be identified by their gold eye colour, almost otherworldly beauty and cool skin. They are immune to extreme temperatures..."

That would explain why Hiro dived into the icy lake after me...and then...I wondered if he asked Leslie to heat me up. I know from reading about werewolves before that they have above normal body temperatures. Hiro wouldn't be able to warm me up... I felt warm inside thinking that he was so worried about me...

"...like all creatures from the Unmarked lands dragons can't change their form outside its borders..."

"Dragons generally do not form the same emotional bond with their partners as humans do and often after birthing offspring they go their separate ways, whether the partner was human or dragon or in some cases the dragon refused to share his blood with his human mate, resulting in her dying when giving birth. The youngling is raised by either of the parents until old enough to secure his or her own land and might even challenge the parent..."

I felt a bit scared. Would this be what would happen with me and Hiro? He seems so in love with me, was that just so he can secure offspring? Was that all I was to him? I wish I could talk to my mom... although I wasn't sure if she'd understand...


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

I didn't go to Hiro's room that night. I wasn't sure of what I was supposed to do. How did dragons marry? Was it similar to humans, like a wedding ceremony or what? I knew I already gave up my virginity to him, but didn't want to live like husband and wife while I didn't truly feel like his wife...

The next day ate breakfast in the hall again with everyone. This would be the last breakfast before the guests would leave for a while, I heard. Hiro came and escorted me to the table as usual, but didn't talk much to me. He wasn't unfriendly or anything, but seemed a bit...distracted. I didn't see Verona anywhere. Did they have a talk? I wonder what happened?

After breakfast I asked Hiro if he wanted to go for a walk with me, but he said that he couldn't. I was disappointed, but did not ask him to explain why. Este eventually went for a walk with me, but Leslie accompanied us and I ended up having to put up with their lovie-dovie-ness. It made me feel more miserable and aware off that Hiro seemed a bit distant with me...

Tomorrow was my 18th birthday. Strangely I actually missed my family and how they fussed about me on my birthday every year. Mom would always make a huge cake that rose unevenly and then Anneke would save the day by icing it so you couldn't notice. I realised that I was homesick...I wondered if Este missed her folks? Perhaps not, it didn't seem like they were close... I cried myself to sleep that night.

The next morning when I woke I got quite a fright. I was surrounded by flowers everywhere I could see. Roses, Lilies, Geraniums, all sorts of flowers in a variety of colours stood in pots all over my room. I didn't even hear anything... I sat up and inhaled the sweet scent. How could I not have noticed? There was a card on my bedside table with the royal seal on. I opened it.

"To my beloved Catherine, happy birthday."

~Hiro.

His handwriting was very elegant. How did he know? Perhaps Este told him? Just then I heard a small knock. I felt too emotional to speak. After a short while the door slowly opened and Hiro came in.

"You're awake?" he asked when he noticed me sitting up in bed.

"Y...yes." I said and quickly wiped away a tear. He sat down on the bed opposite me.

"Do you not like them?" he asked after we just sat silently for a while. Why would he think that?

"Yes! Very much!" I said quickly, "I'm just...overwhelmed."

Hiro sighed with relief. I didn't realise that he was worried that I might not like flowers!

"Thank you very much, this is the best birthday gift I've ever got!" I said and he smiled.

"This is not all..."

"What? Oh, no...I don't need anything more than this!"

"I will give you a request...anything your heart desires."

I remember reading about this...this was a dragon's request. This was something that very rarely happened. I could even ask that he give me all his gold and he'd been bound to do so. Being a magical being, a dragon can of course give you many other things as well, including expanding a human's lifespan. This had been the request of one human mentioned in the book who lived to be almost 10 000 years old!

"I will give you time to think about it..." Hiro said, but I already knew what I wanted.

"I would like to visit my family," I said.

"What?" he asked in surprise.

"Do you understand what you are asking, Catherine? As my wife to be you will be a target outside the Unmarked lands and...I will not be able to protect you..." he said unhappily.

"You mean I will not be able to see my family again?"

"No, of course not! You only can't leave the Unmarked lands for now..."

I was really wanting to see my house again. I even missed our little terrier Wuffles. His silence made me even more resolved.

"That is my request."

"Why now?" he asked annoyed.

"Because I miss home!"

"This is your home now! Why can't you wait for a year or two?"

A year or two?! I felt my chest tighten. I would not be able to survive that.

Hiro has his fists balled and paced up to the balcony door and then turned around. He wasn't happy. I looked right back at him. I wasn't going to give in this time. He must have seen the resolve on my face, because he stormed out the room without saying a word.

As soon as the door slammed I felt terrible. Did I do the wrong thing? Was I being too selfish? My whole body trembled. He looked quite scary just now... A maid came in and asked if I would be eating breakfast in the dining hall. I replied that I would and changed. Hiro wasn't there so I ate with Este and Leslie in silence. They must have picked up that something was wrong, because they didn't ask any questions, for which I was thankful. After breakfast I went out on the porch that overlooked the grazing grounds when Hiro suddenly appeared and pulled me by my arm.

"Wha?!"

"Come! You said you wanted to visit your family, so lets go!" he said as he pulled me along.

"Ouch, that hurts!" I protested, but he didn't let my arm go. We eventually got to a garage that had several motor cars stored in it. He opened the door of a black Ferrari and let me get in. He got in behind the driver's wheel and started the car. He wasn't in a good mood.

"Should we not...I don't know...take others with us for protection?" I asked.

"They will be just as useless as I am in the human world. Let's just get this over with."

We didn't talk the whole way. I was surprised to learn that there was a well-maintained road from the castle to the border of the Unmarked lands. I could still smell the leather of the car seats. I didn't seem like Hiro often used this car.

Before I knew it we pulled in the driveway of my house. I felt relieved and scared at the same time. It has been quite a while...I didn't know what to expect... Hiro came around and opened the door for me and held his hand out to me.

"Shall we?" he asked, but there was no emotion on his face. The front door opened before we were even half-way there and my dad stormed out.

"Cathy!" he almost shouted as he pulled me into an embrace. I could see mom in the doorway, her face looked surprised and I knew she would burst into tears just now. Just then...did my dad just sniff me?! He suddenly let go of me.

"You bastard!" he shouted and did the last thing I would ever expect my always calm and collected dad to do. He tackled Hiro onto the grass on our front lawn.

"Dad!" I yelled in shock and wanted to intervene, but my mom grabbed my arm.

"Let them...talk it out, come with me," she said and pulled me inside. What was going on? Inside Anneke also came and squeezed my shoulder.

"I'll make us all some hot cocoa," mom said and went to switch on the kettle.

"I'm glad you're alright sis, I was quite worried when I got home from the party and you were not here. Almost phoned the police, but then we got a message from your guy..." She leaned over the couch to peek through the curtain behind it.

"Ouch...that must have hurt..." she said and winced.

"Anneke!" I didn't want to think of my dad and Hiro trying to kill each other on our front lawn. Thankfully Hiro couldn't change into a dragon here and luckily we didn't have neighbours nearby that could see this...it would be so embarrassing...

"So, when's the wedding?"Anneke asked casually as she sat down on the couch.

"That's a bit forward darling," mom said from the kitchen.

"No it's not! She spend almost three weeks living with the guy, surely they would be wanting to get married if he came over to ask permission and all that."

"I don't think he came to ask permission...he brought me because I asked."

"What?! But you're still a minor, he has to by law..." Anneke's eyes widened.

"Oh, it's your 18th birthday today! I somehow thought it was your 17th! Oh man, I totally got the icing wrong! Congrats on becoming an adult!"

The front door opened and my dad came in with Hiro following him.

"She's still our daughter," my dad's voice grumbled, "and any guy will have to ask my permission or damn him! That counts for you too Anneke!"

His left eyebrow was bleeding a bit and he was wiping his eye.

"Dad?" I asked worried.

"Honey?" my mom asked at the same time.

"Don't worry, it's just the stupid contact that came out." Then I noticed that his eye without the contact was gold...


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I inhaled sharply.

"What the hell?!" I said before I could stop myself.

"Language young lady!" my dad reprimanded and took the ice pack my mom offered him and pressed it against his brow. Hiro seemed fine.

Mom brought in a tray with hot cocoa for all of us and we all sat down. Hiro came and sat down next to me and took my hand in his. Mom smiled at the gesture, but dad scowled a little bit.

"I guess there is some explaining to do," mom said after she took a sip of her hot cocoa. Dad and Hiro seemed to be having a stare-down.

"Anneke...Cathy..." she started, but my dad cut her off.

"I will tell them..." he grumbled.

"I...we..." he suddenly didn't seem able to find the right words.

"Your dad is a descendant of a dragon-human blood-line," mom said simply.

Anneke almost dropped her cocoa.

"What?!" she asked in disbelief.

It turns out that my father was a third generation dragon and was supposed to marry another third generation dragon descendant, but he fell in love with mom who was human. They decided to live in the human world. That means Anneke and I both have dragon blood in our veins, though weakened. Perhaps that was why our eyes were hazel with a bit of gold-brown around the irises.

"So what are you?" Anneke asked Hiro.

"Anneke!" mom said, but was interrupted by Hiro.

"I am a third generation dragon-human as well."

I suddenly realised something...Verona's words popped up in my head... "I still think you are making a mistake..." Did she say that because I wasn't a third-generation dragon-human?

After we all finished our cocoa Anneke left to got the shop for some ingredients.

"I take it that you will be staying over tonight," mom said to me and Hiro and then glanced at dad.

"In separate rooms!" he said and then walked off.

"He just needs time to wrap his head around things," mom said cheerfully," you know how dads are about their daughters, especially the youngest," she said winking at Hiro. He smiled back at her, but I could see it was somehow forced.

Later crowds of people showed up for my party. Lights were lit all around the back area and some people went swimming in the pool. Fires were lit and soon the delicious smell of meat filled the air. Hiro kept to my side as much as possible. He and dad seemed to have reached...a truce of some sort. They conveniently avoided each other. This saddened me a bit, because I would have loved for them to get along. At least they weren't fighting anymore. I blew out the candles on a cake that was quickly modified to show 18 instead of 17.

When I finally retired that night mom came to have a chat with me in my room.

"How are you, honey?" she asked as she picked up my brush and started brushing my hair like she often did before I went to bed.

"I'm well mom...there's been a lot that happened...I don't even know where to start..."

I told her about my time in the Shadowlands, but omitted the parts that involved me being naked. It was too embarrassing. She listened patiently while she kept brushing my hair. Eventually I told her everything that I felt comfortable telling.

"So, when did it happen?" she suddenly asked. I thought I didn't hear her right.

"What?"

"You know... dragons have a very keen sense of smell. Your father would not have attacked your boyfriend if he couldn't tell..."

I blushed tomato-red. My mom was too clever for me...

"It happened the night of the ball...only once..." I said very uncomfortably, "and he's not my boyfriend, he's my fiancée."

"Right, sorry dear. I can see...you still have a lot to learn about dragons..." she said a bit sadly, "your father and I had hoped that living in the human world would sever any connection you had to the Shadowlands with each generation until there was nothing left, but now... I have some books that could help you."

"Someone also gave me a book at the castle. I haven't finished all of it yet though, it is quite thick and has a lot of boring history in it too... speaking of which...I failed my exam..."

"We know dear."

"What?!"

"Your result letter came in the post and since you weren't here to hide it..."

"Oh..."

"So, what do you plan to do now?"

"I'm not too sure...what am I expected to do as a dragon's wife?"

"Apart from bearing children...let me see...there isn't much else expected of you than supporting him in his official duties, but you could still pursue a career."

"Mom... I don't think I want to become an accountant."

"But you did so well up till now?"

"I know, but it was not what I wanted, I did it because I wanted to make you proud."

"You'll always make us proud honey, no matter what you do," she said and lovingly stroked my hair.

"Mom?"

"Yes darling?"

"I am scared..."

"What about? You've already crossed the scariest bridge," she said while squeezing me. I was thankful that she wasn't judging me too harshly.

"I know...but I've read...that dragons don't have the same feelings humans do...that they might leave after a while?"

"It is true that according to the generation born in dragons have more or less feeling or human emotion if you want to call it that... though I don't think your dragon will leave you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He fought your dad and was clearly stronger than him. Don't tell your dad that," she quickly said to me softly with a wink.

"Traditionally when dragons fight they will fight to the death."

"Mom!" I almost yelled. That means that if Hiro fought like a traditional dragon he would have killed my dad...

"He shows mercy where other dragons would not. This is uncommon. I think he truly loves you darling."

I felt so relieved and happy and couldn't help but cry. Mom held me until I felt better. She eventually left and I fell asleep. During the night I woke when my bed moved.

"Shhh!" Hiro said as he got in and put his arm around me. I scooted up a little, but my bed was a single bed. We slept like that until a soft knock woke us up.

"Wha?!" We were not supposed to share a room...if it's dad... I looked at Hiro with panic.

"Let him come," he whispered in a voice that said he didn't care. I got up and went to the door and opened it slightly. I was relieved to see it was mom.

"You might want to use the opportunity while your dad is in the shower to let Hiro return to his room," she said conspiringly.

"Breakfast will be ready in 30 minutes." She smiled and handed me some men's clothes and then went downstairs.

I closed the door and sighed.

"That was close," I said.

"I have gotten his consent to marry you," Hiro suddenly said quietly.

"You did? Then why is he still staring at you like he wants to turn you into vapour?"

Hiro smiled faintly. "When dragons fight for the right to marry a daughter one of them usually dies, which means either yes or no for the prospective husband. Your dad decided I was worthy of you."

"Really? Did he say that?"

"More or less. He's probably still sulking because I've hurt his honour."

"You mean to say that he is upset because he couldn't kill you?"

Hiro grinned.

"That is more or less it."

"How barbaric!"

Then I heard footsteps coming down the corridor. It was definitely dad. He had a way of walking on the floors that woke up the whole house, even though it was tiled. I held my breath as it seemed like the footsteps stopped outside my door, but then continued downstairs.

Hiro was looking at the picture frames I had on a shelf.

"This is one of you and Este...you look very young here?" It was a picture of us sitting on a jetty with our swimsuits on.

"Oh, yeah. We were nine. Those were the days we were best friends."

"What changed?"

"I'm not too sure...she started dressing funny and coloured her hair white and got piercings and stuff. Dad didn't want me to be close friends anymore. I guess he thought she was mixing with the rough crowd and would be a bad influence on me."

It was amazing to think how much things between us has changed in the Shadowlands...

"And this one?"

"That is me with a group of friends from primary school on a summer camp. It was about when I was 12."

Este stood on the other side of the group to me. Back then she was already labelled as a rebel. She didn't smile at the camera.

"I used to have crush on this guy," I said and pointed at a boy in the row in front of me," but I have always been too shy to speak to boys and he never noticed me. He did like Este, though."

"That's his loss," Hiro said smiling at me and put the picture back. There were others of me with my family and our terrier, Wuffles. And one of me with Denushka.

"16th birthday?" he asked.

I nodded.

My room was pretty much a girly room. I had posters of boy-bands on the walls and anime figurines...it all now seemed embarrassing...

Hiro seemed very interested in everything in my room. He walked over to the figurine shelf.

"A dragon?" he asked and picked up a dark red dragon figurine.

"Heh, I won that in a competition on an anime website."

"Looks a little like me...though I think I'm prettier," he said smiling and put it back.

A thought suddenly stuck me. I wonder if Hiro could tell that I have dragon blood in me?

"Hiro, did you know about my dad?"

He was silent for a bit.

"Yes."

"And you still decided to come...why didn't you tell me?"

"Dragons are very private. It wasn't my place to tell you things that he chose to keep from you. I came because I couldn't bear to see you unhappy."

"Oh...thank you. I really appreciate it."

"At least it turned out better than I had expected."

"What do you mean?

"If your dad didn't relent it would have been a bit of a problem, wouldn't it?"

I never realised all of the complications there were...

"Um...thank you..."

I changed into some of my clothes from my cupboard and Hiro put on the clothes mom had lent him. He hadn't packed an overnight bag. We made our way downstairs. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted to us along with the smell of waffles. Mom was going all out this morning...

We seated around the dining-room table and dad sat at the head of the table. He greeted everyone and looked at Hiro for just a slight second too long, but then took a sip of his coffee and acted normally. When we've all had enough dad decided to speak up.

"So, are we going today?" he asked and was looking directly at Hiro.

"Yes," Hiro said flatly.

"Going where dad?" I asked, trying to keep things cooled.

"This lad promised that he would make this old man happy and marry you legally in the human world."

"What?" That was quite sudden. Was that possible? Would Hiro even be registered on the system?

After breakfast we all got into Dad's Mercedes SUV. Dad and Hiro had another chat outside before we left. I wondered what that was about. We drove into town and stopped by the shopping mall. Hiro asked me to go with him. I followed him into a jewellery store. Was he going to buy me a ring?!

"Choose anyone you want," he said to me.

"Anyone?" I asked in surprise.

Hiro smiled.

"It will only be temporary. When we marry in the Shadowlands I will replace it with our family heirloom."

"Oh...in that case, I'll just choose something simple..."

"No, choose something that would make your parents happy."

I was touched by his thoughtfulness and chose a ring with a row of diamonds set in it. He picked out a ring for himself and then took out his wallet and paid by card. I was dumbfounded. I didn't expect him to do something so ordinary... what was I expecting? That he would suddenly pull out a bar of gold?

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"What is it?" he asked smiling too.

"It's just...this is so...normal," I said and I could see that he understood what I meant.

"He-he... I do have to come...this side for business you know."

That would explain the human world things I've seen in and around the castle.

We married in the court and exchanged our rings with my parents and Anneke as witnesses. Then we went to a restaurant to have lunch. Hiro looked like an ordinary young man. Well, as long as he wore his sunglasses. He refused to put contacts in like dad did. I never knew dad wore contacts...

That evening it was hard to say goodbye. Wuffles seemed to have taken a liking in Hiro which was quite funny. She would go and lie on his lap so that he could scratch her tummy. Mom hugged me tightly while Anneke sort-off tapped me on the head. She wasn't too into the touchy feely stuff.

"Take care sis."

Then it was dad's turn. I have never seen him look so emotional. He then hugged me fiercely.

"If you are unhappy, you come home right?" he demanded and I knew he was looking at Hiro over my shoulder. I nodded.

"Take good care of my girl, Hiro," he said and then shook hands with him in a business-like manner.

"I will sir," he replied.

"Dad," my dad said in a flat voice. He was being pushy.

"Dad..." Hiro repeated and smiled at my family.

I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding as we drove off.

"You...have a nice family," Hiro said after a while.

"Thank you..."

We drove in silence for a while.

"I want us to have a happy family too," he suddenly spoke up again, "I have been raised by my more-dragon parent so there are things...that you'll have to teach me."

I put my hand on his thigh and he let go of the steering wheel with one hand to hold onto my hand. It felt so right, the two together like this.

"I have things to learn from you too Hiro. I guess we'll help each other?"

He nodded and then a naughty smile formed on his face.

"Mmm...I can already think of something I can teach you when we get home..."


End file.
